Greenpeace was conceived in 1971 when members of the Don't Make A Wave Committee in Vancouver, Canada, renamed their organization the better to proclaim their purpose: to create a green and peaceful world.
Greenpeace today adheres to the same principle that led 12 people to sail a small boat into the US atomic test zone off Amchitka in Alaska in 1971: that determined individuals can alter the actions and purposes of even the most powerful by 'bearing witness', that is, by drawing attention to an abuse of the environment through their unwavering presence at the scene, whatever the risk.
Campaigners from a variety of disciplines work alongside each other, adding weight to the campaign message and arguments with their specialised knowledge. These include highly skilled specialists on the issues themselves, media specialists in the Communications Division, experienced political and business people in the Political and Economic Units, and the staff of two scientific laboratories in the UK and the Ukraine. Greenpeace's boats carry out high-profile actions, and tour regions and countries, highlighting local and regional environmental problems. The boats are crewed and operated by Greenpeace Marine Services.
Much of the money is used to finance the smaller Greenpeace offices that are unable to fund their own operations fully; to obtain the highest quality scientific information; to operate the fleet of ships worldwide, and to use the latest communications technology to get our message to the concerned public as quickly as possible.
Greenpeace International uses the funds to publish campaign material and reports highlighting such issues as how developing countries are being exploited by illegal trade in toxic waste from the industrialized world. These reports are used by campaigners worldwide, and are sent to the media, politicians, other NGO's and interested members of the public.