Greenpeace

The debate over toilet paper softness is not going anywhere soon, not in the blogs, not in the media, and certainly not in my parents' house.

I will admit I was a loyal Angel Soft user for years, from high school when I would ask Mom to "buy the TP with the baby on the front" (how is that for brand imaging?) to college when I would throw it in my own cart at the grocery store.  I do not know what it was about that toilet paper that made me love it so, but I was one sure hooked consumer.

In college there was no Kleercut campaign on my campus.  We all happily used our Kleenex, 3-ply toilet paper, and Bounty paper towels like there was an endless supply of one roll after another.  All that changed though when I learned I was wiping up party spills with virgin wood fiber.  With the aid of the Tissue Guide I switched brands.  Yes, when my roommate and I ran out of TP one day this past spring I stopped in the paper products aisle and stared, stared at the baby and back again at the recycled toilet paper.  I had never paused before, had never considered buying another brand, but I did it.  I slid the package of recycled toilet paper under my cart and went about my grocery shopping.

When my roommate did not say anything about the new toilet paper in the bathroom I figured she had not noticed.  Not like I was trying to hide the package and trick her into thinking it was the cushy 3-ply we had been using, but a whole week went by without comment.  What was going on here?  Was the girl that had bought only Charmin really using recycled tp without a fuss?  Turns out, she was.  We went through roll after roll and when it came time to buy tp again I bought recycled.  I finally had to ask, "How do you feel about the recycled toilet paper we have been using?"  Her response, "Umm.. I don't know if I knew it was recycled."  She had even kept a roll bedside during a particularly nasty cold, how is that for an argument against all those tissues with lotion for red, scratchy noses!

Mom, on the other hand, is still a change in progress.  Before my younger sister left for college Mom bought a pack of recycled tp for the house but she promptly replaced it with that baby on the front tp.  Does she know what that baby stands for?? 

This past weekend, I was home enjoying an afternoon with my parents when a stray paper towel blew across the backyard.  As Dad chased it down, Mom joked, "In 20 years it'll break down!"  I stood up, walked to the paper towel holder, and said, "You know, you could at least use recycled paper towels, I don't think the countertops will complain." 

Take this time to thank Kimberly-Clark for their commitments to protect the Boreal Forest, and please sign those petitions we mailed to you demanding sustainable practices from Proctor&Gamble!  Shop with the tissue guide and introduce those in your life to recycled paper products.  I promise you, if my twenty-something year old friends can make the switch you can too!  In the meantime I will keep working on Mom to get those paper towels changed out..

This past Tuesday the Supporter Care team and a handful of Frontline staffers were fortunate enough to represent Greenpeace at the U2 concert in Washington, DC.  Greenpeace's history with U2 goes aways back, from U2 partaking in an anti-nuclear action with our UK counterparts in the early 90's to a stop aboard the Rainbow Warrior II.  If you look inside an older U2 cd, you will see a tear-out to join Greenpeace.  Believe it or not, some still trickle in with the mail.

That afternoon the thirteen of us piled into the van headed for FedEx stadium to meet with volunteers from Amnesty International, One (Bono's own), and Free Burma.  After a quick run down of our do's and don'ts: no stickering concert goers and meet back at 8:30 or else, we set off to canvass the grounds.  Our goal:  gather 900 signatures to show our government leaders they have grassroots support for strong, ambitious, science-based climate legislation in Copenhagen.  This early in the afternoon though the only people there were back in the gravel lot where the van was or rushing to claim their space in the general admission line. 

Not wanting to trek right back over the stream and through the woods, quite literally, I positioned myself near the general admission line ready to catch someone on their way to pick up their holy wristbands.  The first young man I stopped enthusiastically signed the petition but asked no questions, instead I found myself asking him questions about U2.  He said, “This is my 29^th U2 show, I’ve been following them around the states.”  Yes, you read that correctly, twenty-nineth U2 show.  I can not even wrap my mind around seeing a show twenty-nine times!  I quickly realized while these people would spare a second to sign the petition, they could not physically spare another second to talk about climate legislation.  I wondered if such die-hard Greenpeace fans existed somewhere out there in the parking lots..

Josef and I figured we would try our luck back in the gray lot where we had parked the van.  We tried our luck with a few tailgaters, got a few signatures, before spotting a couple enjoying some good eats and the afternoon sun by a bright yellow VW bug.  As we approached with clipboards outstretched and our respective Greenpeace shirts on, I opened our pitch, “Hi!  We’re with Greenpeace..” but was quickly cut off, “Oh!  Greenpeace! How awesome!”  Had we met our equivalent of the die-hard U2 fan?  Yes!  Yes, we had!  We talked about climate legislation, told them about the Greenpeace Organizing Term their freshman college daughter may be interested in, who wouldn’t be?!  An action-packed semester of organizing, non-violence training, and traveling to see first-hand areas of devastation!   I passed along my contact information for their daughter and we wished them a good time at the concert.  Riding high from meeting this couple from the DC suburbs, Josef and I headed back to the stadium ready for the show itself.

By the time 8:30 rolled around, we were being briefed on our part during the show.  We, all forty or so of us, were going to walk out on stage with U2 during “Walk On", the tribute song to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.  Excitedly we were led down to the inner circle, the best seats in the house, and sang along through “It’s a Beautiful Day”, and the other songs that have brought U2 international acclaim the past two decades.  Finally, it was our time.  Mixed inbetween volunteers from One and the other organizations we were handed our masks of Aung San Suu Kyi, currently under house arrest in Burma.  Bono began “Walk On” and with that we filed out one by one to the front of the raised platform.  There we stood in our respective t-shirts holding our masks in unity looking out over a crowd of nearly 90,000.  I honestly do not remember hearing Bono sing, I simply remember looking down from the bottom of the mask and eyeing a sea of people and feeling an incredible, unexplainable calm.  We were sharing the stage with U2 and looking out over the same crowd.  I thought, “How many of these people did we talk to today?  Does anyone out there think, ‘Hey! I talked to that Greenpeacer earlier!’” 

Despite our exhaustion the following day, we all retold our stories from the U2 show, from meeting truly cool people and talking about Greenpeace to canvassing for food in the parking lots before the gates opened, to being a part of “Walk On” and showing our solidarity.  It was a day none of us will forget and that was only made possible by Bono’s generosity and belief in Greenpeace’s campaigns.

I have attached a video of “Walk On” from the DC show, but there are other videos available on YouTube capturing the quiet..

A few months back, I was lucky enough to enter our archives.  The temperature controlled room, deep in the heart of the office, is a highly organized system housing every imaginable artifact of Greenpeace US history.  From crew members' photos aboard the Phyllis Cormack to the latest newsletter, the archives tell the story of how a few brave activists setting sail for Amchitka in 1971 grew to be the leading independent environmental organization today. 

I could spend days upon days browsing the immense collection of records, and scratching my head: fanny packs? visors?

but not having endless time to hang out in the archives and ponder some Greenpeace attire, I sat down with our archivist Nikolas.

Describe your role as archivist:

• My job as GP archivist is to preserve and document GP's history and historical documents and artifacts, and maintain the organization's institutional memory.  As an organization with a 40 year history, it's important to preserve our history because our foundation is a critical part of who we are and shows that we have long-standing expertise and credibility on environmental issues.  When people talk about saving whales, we can show that we essentially started the movement.  When people debate global warming, we can prove that we've been on the right side since the 1970s.  We've exposed scams, lies and crimes for decades and the archives is the record of those successes.

Do you have a favorite record?

• Telexes from the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.  When French agents bombed the ship in 1985 in New Zealand, messages were sent from Auckland to other offices, giving a minute-by-minute account of the aftermath of the attack and the realization and shock of losing one of our crewmembers.  Oh, and I like buttons.

Many thanks to Nikolas for keeping the archives in top shape!  If you ever come across an old Greenpeace article and have a question about it, you can bet Nikolas will be able to tell you more about it!  For example, when I forwarded an e-mail that read: At a cafe in Porstmouth, NH I saw a poster in the men's room entitled, Stepping Lightly on the Earth: a Minimum Impact Guide to the Home, Nik appeared leaflet in hand within the hour.

In addition,  we have a bare bulletin board over here that could really benefit from some supporter pictures!  Whether wearing a vintage tee, personal photos from a volunteer action, or even an old article found way back in the kitchen drawer, we'd love to see it!  You can e-mail us attachments at info@wdc.greenpeace.org or mail them to the below address.  I mean, how cute is Zoe in her Mom's childhood "Save the Seals" tee?!

During the school year, we have our "Fun Friday" afternoons.  We open the many letters we receive from school groups, tape up our favorite pictures, and send back brochures, book marks, and personalized letters.  We truly enjoy reading about the many ways classes make a difference in their schools and their creative fundraising initiatives.  During one staff meeting, we even broadcast a homemade video which a school group showed in their community as a fundraiser!

Now that the school year is starting up again, here are some ideas if you or your classmates want to get involved but aren't quite sure how:

As an academic project, one group tackled global warming as a four part project including a written report, a photo report, a display board, and an action point.  For their action point, they chose to raffle off three themed baskets with gift cards.  The raffle tickets were sold at their class exhibition and then donated.

Student led environmental groups have set-up donation tables with materials we've provided covering deforestation, oceans, and toxics.  A high school group chose toxic electronics, which includes video games(!), as their fundraising topic because of its relevance to their everyday lives.

One determined club made hand-sewn canvas totes to promote reusable bags and sold their totes during the school's Earth Day festivities.  They donated the proceeds raised from selling their totes to classmates, staff, and community members.

Classes have organized weekend walk-a-thons, yard sales, and recycling drives in their communities to raise awareness and fully understand how they can go green in their own lives. 

If your school doesn't have an Environmental Club, you should start one with the help of a teacher and classmates!  Clubs are a great way to tell your fellow students about the importance of recycling, using reusable bags and water bottles, and turning off lights and electronics when leaving the classroom.  As your club grows, you can get involved in or organize school-wide volunteer opportunities, pressure your administration to make environmentally wise purchases for the classroom, and your classmates to be responsible!

We love to hear what projects you and your friends take on at school and at home!  Send us your drawings, photos, and information requests to the below DC address and we'll try our best to get a package out to you!

In Supporter Care we are the people behind the scenes in DC working to make sure your membership is accurate, your questions are being answered, and you feel connected to the organization! If you have ever e-mailed or called us and wondered "Who is this Zach?" or "Who is Kacey?" (or Stacey, I'll answer to that too), this blog is for you! We want you all to get to know us and your fellow members!

I joined Supporter Care in November 2008 filling the void left by Sebastian, whom now writes the inspiring Quarterly Newsletter. Fresh out of college, I had no idea the world I was in for! During my first few weeks I was offered the opportunity to partake in a small protest at the Japanese Embassy. Having never protested before, I jumped at the chance to don an orange jumpsuit in support of the Tokyo Two. There I was on Embassy Row in a bright orange jumpsuit handcuffed to a co-worker posting Twitter updates while Allison spoke with an Embassy representative. I had joined a movement, a group of dedicated individuals committed to the mission of Greenpeace. My fellow chain gang co-workers are just some of the people I have come to know over the months, to watch in action, and to see first hand their collaboration lead to successful and monumental victories.

As a member of the Supporter Care team, I sense first hand the impact our campaigns and actions have on our donors. Whether shouts of victory or questions of puzzlement, one of the joys of Supporter Care is hearing that you believe in our work, the work YOU make possible.

I can always be reached at info(at)wdc.greenpeace.com or by phone at (800) 326 0959 (well, between 9:30AM and 5PM EST.. I do need some time to myself!), or by snail mail.