4 Covid-safe ways to volunteer with Greenpeace

You can still be a Greenpeace activist in 2021. Here’s how to volunteer and stay Covid-safe.

Share

From rainbow-laden windows to newly pedestrianised streets, the global pandemic made many of us imagine a new way of living.

And through it all, Greenpeace volunteers and activists have found new ways to work together for a greener and more peaceful world. With the UK hosting this year’s global climate change negotiations, that work is more important than ever.

Read on to learn how you can volunteer with Greenpeace, but don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start. Every month we hold volunteer welcome webinars which anyone can join, ask questions and find the best way to get involved.

This movement calls for a bubbling cauldron of dedicated activists – here’s how you can be part of it.

Join your local Greenpeace group

Greenpeace volunteers in Glasgow spray the messages ‘less cars, more bikes‘, ‘more space for people‘ and ‘more walking‘ in chalk on roads to call for a green recovery from the health crisis, including investment in local public transport, walking and cycling. © Greenpeace

From stenciling streets that need less traffic to doing a forest-friendly re-branding of their local Tesco (with jaguars in tow), local Greenpeace groups across the UK campaign on global issues in their local area, and advance our campaigns through local activism.

All local groups are hosting their monthly meetings on Zoom and are welcoming new members.

The local groups network also includes Local Media Volunteers who get coverage in their local papers of these campaigns and activities. We’re currently looking for new volunteers to take on the role in Chelmsford, Preston and Welwyn Garden City. So if you enjoy creative writing or have an eye for a striking photo, then this could be the role for you!

Find your local Greenpeace group

Be part of Greenpeace’s creative peaceful protests

Greenpeace activists in Oxford place posters on Tesco’s shop windows telling new CEO Ken Murphy to stop selling industrial meat and cut ties with forest destroyers. © Greenpeace

Peaceful protest (also known as non-violent direct action or NVDA) raises an issue up the political and social agenda. It’s often used as a last resort, when campaigners have tried everything else they can think of. From mass protests for racial justice to creative disruption like Extinction Rebellion’s extinction parades, NVDA is used by citizens fighting for a greener and fairer world.

NVDA is at the heart of what Greenpeace activists do. It’s the method and philosophy that powers those creative protests you see in the news. It also packs our campaigns with a punch by bringing the impact of environmental crimes to the doorsteps of those responsible.

And it really works. Some of our most famous actions, like the occupation of Kingsnorth power station (now closed) have been instrumental in winning campaigns and achieving tangible change.

In 2020 our trained activists took action both at land and sea. Driving tiny remote-controlled cars under the gates of Downing Street, creating a 47-mile boulder barrier on the seabed to stop destructive fishing, and bringing a vital message from Indigenous leader, Sônia Guajajara to Tesco HQ to highlight their ties to forest destruction.

NVDA actions always come with a level of personal risk yet we take strict measures to keep our actions safe. If you have an appetite for adventure, sign up to become an NVDA-trained activist and join an online training.

Become a trained activist

Become a Greenpeace Speaker

Some of the Greenpeace Youth Speakers recruited in 2020

Greenpeace Speakers are a network of passionate communicators who deliver talks to schools, organisations and groups ranging from local swimming groups to university societies and big business. Covering a range of topics from deforestation, sustainable transport, eco-anxiety, oceans and plastics – our network is operating online using Instagram and Zoom.

In 2020, an influx of new youth speakers delivered online talks with 1000 listeners and spoke at the Youth Climate Summit, a weekend long conference for schools – watched by thousands of children across the UK.

All of our talks end with actions that people can take. We support you in developing an interesting talk and giving you the confidence to inspire others. Become a Greenpeace Speaker, or invite a Speaker to talk to any school or group you are part of.

Learn more about Greenpeace Speakers

Lobby your MP

Two people stand in front of a bookcase smiling at the camera and holding a bag of plastic packaging.

Greenpeace volunteer Harriett meets with her local councillor in Harrow to talk about plastic pollution.

Volunteers in our Political Lobbying Network contact their MP and local councillors on Greenpeace’s campaigns and wider environmental issues. As constituents, your views really do matter. You don’t need to know lots about how politics or parliament works, or be able to recite stats on carbon emissions. You just need to care about environmental issues and be willing to talk to decision-makers about why they matter to you.

Last year, members of the network collectively reached 370 MPs, engaging them in our campaigns. They invited MPs to a photo exhibition, an online event, a virtual mass lobby, tweeted them, emailed them, and shared our Green Recovery manifesto and responded to Government consultations on transport. This year, the Network is focusing on holding the Government and MPs to account on the need for global leadership on climate and the environment, in the run-up to hosting UN climate negotiations in Glasgow, and calling for concrete plans to reach our target of Net Zero by 2050.

Volunteers stay in touch via our online platform, Greenwire. If you’re interested in joining the Political Lobbying Network, find out more and sign-up here.

Join the political lobbying network

Ready to get involved?

Greenpeace volunteers wear multiple hats, often taking on different roles as time goes on. If you’re still figuring out which role could be for you then join one of our monthly volunteer welcome webinars.  These sessions will give more of a flavour of how you can volunteer and connect you to other Greenpeace supporters looking to take action.

Being a Greenpeace volunteer is like being part of a family – one where everyone brings something unique to the dinner table. Whichever way you wish to get involved, bring your creativity, energy and passion for protecting our natural world, and together we will take action.

What's next?