Greenpeace UK

Slideshow: polar bears on parade

jamie — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:21:55 +0000

There never really needs to be an excuse to look at incredible images of polar bears in the wild, but today has been designated International Polar Bear Day by conservation group Polar Bear International. So to mark the occasion, here's a selection of shots from the Greenpeace archives.

Of course, polar bears - along with many other Arctic species - are at risk, thanks to climate change, as many of these photographs show. As the sea ice shrinks each year, polar bears lose their hunting grounds while oil companies like Shell see an opportunity to move in and search for more oil.

So if you like the photos, make sure you email Shell and demand an end to its plans for Arctic drilling.

That was 2011: we couldn't have done it without you

jamie — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:55:50 +0000

The winter solstice is as good a time as any to look back over the last 11-and-a-bit months that were 2011. And what a year it's been, not just for us here in the office but for all our supporters and volunteers who've kept our campaigns going.

From the incredible success of our tinned tuna campaign and challenging Cairn Energy in the Arctic and in its Edinburgh office, to persuading more companies to drop their contracts with Asia Pulp and Paper and the hundreds of thousands of Jedi challenging VW's stance on climate laws, we've certainly packed it in. Some of the highlights feature in the video above.

None of it would have been possible without the help of our supporters. If you sent an email to Princes or John West, stood on the street collecting signatures to send to VW, or donated towards the construction of the new Rainbow Warrior, you've been part of an amazing year. Thank you!

But what's been the highlight of 2011 for you? Let me know in the comments below.

Stories from the Rainbow Warrior: Changing Sides

bex — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:54:04 +0000

In the latest in our video series, "Stories from the Rainbow Warrior", Martti talks about his journey from an unhappy sailor working for an oil company to a sailor / activist on a Greenpeace ship. Want to get on board?

The battle for the Frozen North: Point Hope (video)

bex — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:45:30 +0000

The small Alaskan community of Point Hope - or Tikiġaq, as the Iñupiaq people call their homeland - is one of the oldest continually occupied sites in North America.

The Iñupiaq settled here some 2,400 years ago and, since then, have depended on subsistence hunting of Arctic mammals - including seal, caribou and bowhead whale - for their survival.

But life there may be about to change. Next year, Shell hopes to start drilling in the Chukchi Sea just north of Point Hope, threatening not only the region's oceans and wildlife, but also the Iñupiaq's culture and food supply.

Caroline Canon, featured in this video by Will Rose and Kajsa Sjölander of 70°, is among those challenging the conditional approval of Shell’s exploration plan - backed by a group of 12 environmental organisations including Greenpeace. (The others interviewed are Steve Oomittuk, Point Hope City Mayor, and Lydia Nashookpuk, Point Hope resident.)

And, tellingly, a couple of weeks ago, voters in the North Slope Borough mayoral elections - a vast area encompassing the coastline where Shell plans to drill next year - swung behind the mayoral candidate who opposes offshore drilling, Charlotte Brower. She beat former Shell employee George Ahmaogak in a tense run off battle, in which the defining issue was offshore drilling.

As the battle for the Arctic gets under way, you can do your bit too. Right now, the UK is lobbying to water down new European proposals which would ensure that oil companies, like Shell, have to meet tough new standards when they operate in fragile areas like the Arctic. Ask David Cameron to use his influence to help protect the Arctic.

VIDEO: These boots are made for walking (just not all over the Amazon)

jamie — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:50:33 +0000

Remember the photoshoot we staged outside a fashion industry event in Italy? The one reminding companies that make and use leather that the Amazon is not for walking over? Here's a great little video which I neglected to post last week, showing our models strutting their stuff for the rainforest.

Greenpeace photographer Daniel Beltra wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year award

jamess — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:28:02 +0000

Daniel Beltra wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year for this photo

Today, I have the honour of congratulating Greenpeace photographer Daniel Beltra on becoming the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Daniel made his winning picture for Greenpeace, of oil-oaked brown pelicans at a temporary bird-rescue facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, while documenting the environmental impacts caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

During Daniel’s 15-years as a friend and colleague at Greenpeace, Daniel has spent long weeks on board ships and in remote locations, becoming a world-class photographer, and a dedicated environmental campaigner . His exhibitions and publications on international projects such as Southern Ocean whaling, global rainforest destruction and ocean defence have become a means for Daniel to voice his environmental concerns during media interviews, presentations and lectures.

2011 has been a great year for photography awards at Greenpeace, and we’ve seen a significant change the media landscape. Earlier this year, Greenpeace photographer Lu Guang won 3rd prize for spot news features at the World Press Photo Awards for his Dalian Oil Spill story, the first time an non-governmental organisation has ever won a World Press award for a news story.

Today’s news, Daniel’s compelling, groundbreaking award, marks the first time that the internationally prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s winning picture shifts from pictorial to journalistic; it signifies that it’s time to take a completely new look at the environment, not just as nature as something beautiful, but also as nature in crisis.

Not only is winning the Wildlife Photographer of the Year that’s important for Greenpeace, but also how Daniel’s image will inspire a desire for change in the millions of people that will see the it, in newspapers and magazines, online and as the exhibition tours the world. For Greenpeace, this way of campaigning for a better world holds as much persuasive power as the non-violent direct action that Greenpeace is best known for.

Thank you, Daniel, and once again, congratulations - as a friend and colleague Daniel we hold your work as photographer and environmentalist in high esteem.

- John

John Novis is Head of Photography at Greenpeace International

VW film competition: classic Greenpeace films - Nestle

Richardg — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:15:01 +0000

Picture the scene: you're revving up to enter our Volkswagen film competition, to expose its dirty lobbying against strong climate change laws. But you need some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing. So how about reviewing some of our classic films for campaigns gone by?

After last week's ancient forests epic, we’re sticking with the forests theme with Give The Orang-utan A Break. The film accompanied our campaign to get Nestle to stop buying palm oil from companies which are trashing the rainforest.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the somewhat gory climax, it went on to scoop the Viral Video Award at the 2010 Berlin International Film Competition. But the real hubbub took place online.

In what soon became a textbook example of how not to do social media, Nestle tried to ban the film from Youtube and started censoring its Facebook pages, deleting comments from people who’d seen the film.

Faced with what witty commentators were soon calling a ‘kitkatastrophe’ (groan), Nestle agreed to introduce a policy to make sure deforestation wasn't part of its supply chains. Communications companies analysed the campaign, and one produced an amazing diagram showing how the message spread around the internet.

So if our KitKat film has whetted your appetite - for campaign films that is, not chocolate bars - then we need your help to show how VW is spending millions on lobbying to undermining new laws to make cars more efficient and reduce CO2 emissions across Europe.

Interested? Register for the competition below and we'll send you the entry pack when it's released on 17 September.

When you've submitted your email address, this page will reload.

Watch classic Greenpeace films for inspiration and ideas, and follow @gpfilmcomp for updates throughout the competition.

Slideshow: the end of the Rainbow... for now

jamie — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:28:33 +0000

Yesterday's handover ceremony for the Rainbow Warrior II was an emotional affair. As you can see from the images above, one or two tears were shed as she was handed over to her new owners.

With the Rainbow Warrior II renamed Rongdhonu and sailing off for a new career as a medical vessel, the launch of her replacement - Rainbow Warrior III - is imminent. We're still raising funds for our new vessel so please make a donation to keep a rainbow campaigning on the ocean waves.

VW film competition: classic Greenpeace films - Ancient Forests

Richardg — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:07:27 +0000

This September, we're running a film competition. We need your help to turn the cameras on Volkswagen and expose their dirty lobbying against laws to reduce our carbon emissions in Europe.

In the past, Greenpeace has worked with some amazing film makers, and they’ve made really creative films to support our campaigns. So each week between now and the start of the competition, we’ll be digging through our archives and showcasing some of the best.

The first of our film selection - called simply Ancient Forests - comes from 2003. It accompanied our campaign to stop deforestation of the last remaining ancient forests, which were – and still are – under threat from illegal logging.

Klaus Toepfer, head of the United Nations Environment Programme, had warned governments that "the clock is standing at one minute to midnight for the great apes". But, with even the Cabinet Office using rainforest timber, time was running out. We knew that it was vital to convey the seriousness of the threat without bombarding audiences with lectures.

We couldn’t shy away from presenting the impact that deforestation has on ancient forests and great apes. But neither could we just shock people for the sake of it. We had to find the right balance.

With Julien Temple - of The Great Rock And Roll Swindle and The Filth And The Fury - in the director’s chair, we asked Ewan Macgregor and Sir David Attenborough to narrate. Angelo Badalamenti and the neo-classical group Dead Can Dance wrote the haunting soundtrack. You'll also spot a pre-Gollum Andy Serkis.

The film – which takes deforestation out of the rainforests and into the nation’s living rooms – was shown in cinemas across the UK and went on to win a number of awards. Despite being almost a decade old, the film has lost little of its power: that shock as the chainsaws start cutting through the walls still sends a shiver up my spine.

If you fancy yourself as a dab hand with a video camera and can produce something which has the visceral impact of Ancient Forests, then check out www.greenpeace.org.uk/filmcompetition for more details.

VIDEO: A VW stormtrooper sees the lights

jamess — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:42:11 +0000

Following last week's dramatic shutting down of our rebel communications channel (YouTube to you, humans), the Rebellion has bounced back. Our videos are now everywhere - thanks to you brave Jedi - and our ranks are swelling faster than we ever thought possible.

Promises have been made, but we still don't know how or when these promises will be kept, so it's time to crank up the pressure once more.

We had over 2 million views to our Volkswagen campaign films before they were banned: it's impossible to say how many we've received since then – we just know it's a lot. What we do know is that there are more than 190,000 Jedi in the Rebellion, calling on VW to change. And change they must.

Thanks to you, VW is getting the message that Planet Earth is not another Alderaan, to be burned up at the whim of a CEO here or there. Our planet is ours to defend and we will do whatever it takes to protect it.

To reinforce the point, earlier today Jedi in Germany unfurled a banner reading 'Save Our Planet' outside Volkswagen's HQ, while Stormtroopers swarmed around the giant building's entrances.

The message to VW couldn't be clearer: their policies are threatening Earth. But, as we've said before, we feel the good in Volkswagen - the conflict. We know they can do better, that it's possible to turn away from the Dark Side.

In fact, last week during the launch in London, one of the Stormtroopers (Brian, #258793) decided to do exactly that.

We need you to go and post Brian's film all over VW's Facebook pages (such as the VW International, VW UK and main VW pages) as a reminder of what we need them to do: stop opposing the environmental laws – on CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency – that we need to protect our planet.

Don't forget to comment on their posts too, so that VW supporters can see what the company is up to. And let us know if their corporate droids delete any of your comments.

Brian's in a difficult place right now. It's understandable - what he's done would be a shock to any Stormtrooper's system. So give him your full support by sharing the film and encouraging VW to change.

As Yoda says, 'do or do not, there is no try'.