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Since its formation in Vancouver in 1971, Greenpeace has become one of the world's most successful nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by doing outlandish things to save the planet, while bringing the world's media along for the ride. In a recent article commemorating the group's 30th birthday [excerpted below], Greenpeace International Executive Director Gerd Leipold declared, with some justification, that his organization has changed the world. But today, critics accuse Greenpeace of failing to respond to the more complex issues of the 21st century. One former member maintains it "abandoned science and logic somewhere in the mid-1980s." Thirty years ago, environmentalism was all about confrontation. Now it is about conciliation. How well has Greenpeace moved with the times, and what lessons does its evolution from upstart to global institution offer for other NGOs? I By Michael Bond
Greenpeace: the phenomenon
On 15 September Greenpeace marks the thirtieth Anniversary of the expedition that led to the birth of the organisation. Then, it was a big idea to stop U.S. nuclear testing at Amchitka, off Alaska. Now, with a unique global reach, it's still all about the future. And the need for Greenpeace to continue its global fight to save the environment is ever more urgent. It is time to take back the planet ....
It's hard to imagine that from such small, even disorganised, beginnings, Greenpeace has become an organisation with the ability to shake established power brokers and influence the international environmental agenda. But that is what it has done.
Leipold goes on to describe Greenpeace's accomplishments. He might also have mentioned the considerable growth of Greenpeace itself Greenpeace today is run like a company, with a worldwide annual budget of over $100 million. It has a huge media arm and is extremely sensitive about its public image. Its mission statements, such as this one, read like corporate reports. The Greenpeace name is marketed...