The history of the environmental organisation…
This book achieves several things – it’s a both biography of both Jim Bohlen and the environmental organisation Greenpeace. It also serves as a history if the environmental movement as a whole, and the catalysts that have spurred people into action againstthe plundering of the planet.
The books begins with an account of the 1971 voyage from Canada to the Aleutian Islands, where a bunch of Canadians and Americans attempted to halt US nuclear tests on the island of Amchitka. They didn’t succeed, but their actions reached such a high profile that nuclear testing soon dwindled to a halt.
Bohlen was on board the ship, and his life changed remarkably as a result. His plans for isolating his family in a sustainable farm in the boonies wasn’t going to happen – instead, he became major activist in an organisation with a global reach.
This is inspiring, and disturbing reading…
His observations from a Greengrass seminar at a UNCED conference in Rio de Jainero:
‘As to public awareness, there were those who knew the problems and wanted to address them in a creative, solution oriented, manner; those who didn’t know, or didn’t care, about the state of the environment; and those who knew and and refused to make, or implement, the changes necessary. The latter group, primarily bureaucracies and elected politicians, represented the vast middle who when polled, agreed that something needed to be done to protect the environment, but when asked about specific measures, and the possible economic consequences for them, were not supportive. Hence, the need for a strong collective voice insisting upon ecosystem preservation, must be kept front and centre, regardless. The war to preserve the Earth’s ecosystems must continue, everywhere – globally, locally, and within one’s self. ‘
Making Waves: The Origins and Future of Greenpeace (Amazon.com)
Making Waves: The Origins and Future of Greenpeace (Amazon.co.uk)
