Also by bex

The Obama drama: welcome back, USA

Posted by bex - 6 November 2008 at 5:09pm - Comments

I've noticed a higher-than-expected amount of traffic going to our Obama press statement over the past couple of days, so it looks like people are interested in what we make of Obama's victory.

I think this image, on the homepage of the Greenpeace USA website, says it all:

Article tagged as: barack obama, climate change, politics, USA

Farewell to the Rainbow Warriors

Posted by bex - 5 November 2008 at 4:57pm - Comments

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates.

Sadly, all good things come to an end and, yesterday afternoon, the Rainbow Warrior hauled up her lines and left Canary Wharf, heading for mainland Europe to continue her campaign against coal.

As a thanks to the amazing crew - who've had maybe the busiest two weeks of their Greenpeace ship lives - we've put together a slideshow capturing the quieter moments inbetween the frenetic events, open days and direct actions. The photographs are all by Will Rose (onboard photographer and one of the Kingsnorth Six) and Kajsa Sjolander (Rainbow Warrior deckhand and garbologist, when she's not being a photo journalist).

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, energy, multimedia, rainbow warrior, ship tours, slideshows

Isabel's blog - two weeks in the Greenpeace office

Posted by bex - 5 November 2008 at 1:26pm - Comments

A glimpse of life in the Greenpeace office, courtesy of Isabel - who recently spent two weeks work experience helping us transform our presence on Bebo, Twitter, Flickr and other social networking sites, and generally helping us out.

Every year in my school, all the pupils of year 11 are fortunate enough to be released from the horrible grips of classwork, homework, coursework and exams to go and complete two weeks of work experience. As one myself, I didn’t fancy doing anything boring that would leave me with no useful experience, so I decided to do something a little different. Through a long chain of people I managed to land myself a placement here at Greenpeace in the web unit.

Article tagged as: about

Video: onboard the Rainbow Warrior

Posted by bex - 1 November 2008 at 2:09pm - Comments

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email.  

Over the past couple of weeks, we've had a huge number of visitors onboard the Rainbow Warrior, from scientists and campaigners to politicians and journalists. Many of the visitors - like The RSPB and Oxfam - have written about their experiences. The Telegraph went one step further and put together this video about their day onboard the Warrior:

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, multimedia, rainbow warrior, telegraph, videos

Crew blog - life on the high seas (well, the Thames)

Posted by bex - 31 October 2008 at 3:59pm - Comments

The Rainbow Warrior coming through the Thames Barrier

The Rainbow Warrior coming through London's Thames Barrier on Friday afternoon. © Will Rose / Greenpeace.

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email. 

Pete's blog

Pete - Rainbow Warrior crewPete is a volunteer deckhand on the Rainbow Warrior. He wrote this on Thursday, the day after the vigil.

Having been up since 3.40am the previous day, I slept through the night time antics with the projector and the injunction delivery.

Now we are at anchor just upriver from Tilbury. A quieter day of tidying ship and cleaning away equipment. Dark clouds are gathering and a sudden squall blows in. We are keeling over at an angle to the anchor chains. Icy sleet stings our hands and faces as we bring the inflatables alongside to secure them.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, energy, rainbow warrior, ship tours

The vigil ends

Posted by bex - 30 October 2008 at 9:50am - Comments
Night on the Rainbow Warrior

© Kristian Buus / Greenpeace.

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email. 

In the early hours of this morning, after bailiffs served us a high court injunction from the quayside (presumably the "action" E.on had talked about earlier in the day), we pulled up our lines and left the jetty by Kingsnorth power station. We're heading, slowly, back to London.

It had been a busy evening at Kingsnorth. At around 10pm, the team battling with technical problems while occupying E.on's island came back to the boat to project images of climate change and the slogan 'Gordon bin it' from the bow.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, direct actions, kingsnorth, rainbow warrior

Captain's blog: Medway Morning Mooring

Posted by bex - 29 October 2008 at 10:05pm - Comments

Captain MikeSee all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email. 

Here's Captain Mike's take on today's events, written for his personal blog: 

“Rainbow Warrior you are entering the Medway compulsory pilotage area without a pilot. You must stop your vessel and leave the area. You are breaking maritime law.” That’s what the Medway Vessel Traffic Service told me this morning. But, I kept the throttle down and Rainbow Warrior (flanked by eight zodiacs) pointing at an antiquated technology that is consuming the planet. I did inform the VTS when we passed Grain Edge navigation buoy, that we’d entered the Medway channel. I chose not to take a pilot this morning for fear of implicating my fellow mariners in a civilly disobedient activity. In the past week I have done two trips down the Medway, past Kingsnorth, to Chatham Ness - both trips under pilotage with me paying utmost attention to the local navigation.

Read the rest (and while you're there, have a good browse - Mike writes beautifully).

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, direct actions, kingsnorth, mike finken, rainbow warrior

An evening at Kingsnorth

Posted by bex - 29 October 2008 at 7:06pm - Comments
Evening on the Rainbow Warrior

On deck of the Rainbow warrior, taken during the Warrior's UK tour. © Will Rose / Greenpeace.

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email. 

It's slightly surreal sitting here in the mess of the Rainbow Warrior, where life is carrying on in all its usual, cosy hustle and bustle. (The crew members are helping themselves to spaghetti and salad as I write, and a couple of people are using the first quiet moment of the day to have a shower.)

Just outside is the towering smokestack of Kingsnorth and, around the corner, there's a small, concrete island owned by E.on which six people - including two of the Kingsnorth Six - have occupied. They're planning to set up a projector and beam images of climate change impacts onto Kingsnorth's smokestack. (So far, they've been troubled by technical problems - I'll keep you posted.)

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, direct actions, kingsnorth, rainbow warrior, ship tours

Pete's blog - Rainbow Warrior into action

Posted by bex - 29 October 2008 at 3:43pm - Comments

occupying the platform

Occupying the island platform outside Kingsnorth. © Kristian Buus/ Greenpeace.

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email.

Pete is a volunteer deckhand who somehow finds the time to write blogs.

Tuesday 28th: Flags, canoes and a heap of equipment are ready in the hold. Inflatable boats are being checked and hatches secured.

Everyone is 100 per cent dedicated, working through every detail. I doubt I'll sleep much tonight.

Wednesday 29th: Adrenalin pumping, we cast off from Southend pier. There's time to calm down, have a cup of tea - time for a bite to eat too.

We reach Kingsnorth power station loading jetty, a police launch is ready to block us landing.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, direct actions, kingsnorth, rainbow warrior

Update from Kingsnorth: a calm commemoration

Posted by bex - 29 October 2008 at 1:51pm - Comments

Commemoration ceremony on the jetty

Commemoration ceremony led by Greenpeace Executive Director John Sauven at Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent. © Kristian Buus/ Greenpeace.

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email.

I'm on the Rainbow Warrior just outside Kingsnorth coal plant. Security guards are trying to stop the 30 campaigners on the jetty from breaching security and walking through the power plant to the site of the proposed new Kingsnorth plant so, at the moment, they're holding the commemoration on the jetty, with security guards listening.

Each volunteer is carrying the flag of one of the 30 least polluting countries in the world; the proposed new coal plant at Kingsnorth will emit as much as these 30 countries combined. They're also reading out the evidence given by NASA director James Hansen and Inuit leader Aqqaluk Lynge at the trial of the Kingsnorth Six.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, coal ship tour, direct actions, kingsnorth, protests, rainbow warrior, ships

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