It was somewhere between Metronomy and Two-Door Cinema Club on Sunday 25th June 2011 that I decided to join Greenpeace. Throughout the week at Glastonbury I had been taking more and more notice of the short films (particularly this - a link to the 40 years film) played by the organisations associated with the festival. In fact my interest had started the year before at Glastonbury 2010, but I didn’t get around to visiting any of them for a chat. At the time I admit that a lot of my pals were blaming dehydration for my choice and that I’d come around in a few weeks when the festival vibe had left my system!
I am like most other people: conscientious, aware of the main issues and I have a long-term view, in that I believe the planet is the greatest gift we can pass on to future generations. But I recognise now as I did then that I am not a dyed–in-the-wool ecowarrior. I recycle what I can and try not to litter but there is something of a disconnect between these motions and the high ambition of preserving, repairing and preparing the planet for the future.
I think the first challenge for me, before I got in touch with my local Greenpeace coordinator, was to forgive myself for not being a good green citizen already. I can’t think of any other way to put it, but to elaborate, I accepted that while I didn’t have immaculate green credentials I did have the will to give up a few hours every month and to set about discovering what the next level of involvement would be.
I chose Greenpeace over Oxfam and Water Aid for one simple reason. To me it seemed that Greenpeace had teeth. When campaigning and lobbying has failed Greenpeace volunteers around the world will take non-violent direct action to get the message heard and as we all know, they are the most effective organisation in the world at doing so. I could relate to that: I didn’t want to feel like I was wasting my time. By the same token, I won’t be chaining myself to a petrol pump any time soon. I have a job that requires I keep a clean record, and the fantastic thing about this organisation is that they respect this – it’s part of their fabric, and there are alternative routes to action that ‘suit the suits’.
In our meeting last Thursday at the Approach Tavern I felt there was something really exciting happening. We were talking about a short film we are making this month and everyone was contributing ideas and skills. We are Bethnal Green’s Greenpeace network, so we have a mix of young media, business and environmental group professionals among others and we try to use our skills and experience and create a relevant channel for the local area.
I’m looking forward to the summer – we do most of our campaigning in the local markets and chat about campaigns, trying to create the link between individual actions and global issues. From time to time I’ll be out and one of my friends will walk past. They still chuckle about my decision and while they might insist that it was dehydration that got me to sign up, I must have stayed for other reasons.
If you'd like to volunteer with Greenpeace you don't need to wait until Glastonbury 2013.
Simply find your local network by entering your postcode in the Get Active box to the right and contact your nearest local group / network. Or simply scroll to the bottom of this page and find your nearest from the big list. Go on have a look at what's happening near you.
Then contect the local coordinator, turn up to the next meeting - don't worry everyone was new once, and Greenpeace people are really nice, volunteer to help out, and like Adrian - never look back.
Or if there isn't a group / network near you, then you can still get involved as an individual, perhaps with some help from your friends. Complete our Arctic 'what would you like to do next' survey and we'll be back in touch, asking you to do, what you said you'd like to do. Simple.
We need your help, so please get in touch today.
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