The Origin and Mission of Greenpeace in Europe: From “Green Peace” to Global Campaigns

In the late 1960s, a small group of activists gathered in a church basement in Vancouver, Canada, united by a shared fear of nuclear devastation and a love for the natural world. They could not have imagined that their modest anti-nuclear protest would spark one of the most influential environmental movements in history. Today, Greenpeace operates in over 55 countries with nearly three million supporters worldwide, all tracing their roots back to that humble beginning.

From Vancouver to the world: the humble beginnings 🔗

The story of Greenpeace begins in 1969 when the United States announced plans to test a five-megaton thermonuclear bomb on Amchitka Island, a remote volcanic island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain. The island was a federal wildlife refuge, home to bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and the last refuge for around 3,000 endangered sea otters. An earlier, smaller test had already registered 6.9 on the Richter scale and killed wildlife across the island. The new test would be five times more powerful.

Residents along North America’s Pacific coastline grew alarmed. Many feared the underground blast, so close to a seismic fault line, could trigger earthquakes and tidal waves. This concern gave birth to the Don’t Make a Wave Committee in October 1969.

The founders and the Quaker tradition 🔗

The committee’s founding members included Irving and Dorothy Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe, and journalist Robert Hunter. Its first directors were Irving Stowe, Jim Bohlen, and a law student named Paul Cote. Both the Stowes and the Bohlens were American citizens who had moved to Vancouver during the Vietnam War era.

Irving Stowe, a committed Quaker and pacifist, introduced a concept that would become central to Greenpeace’s philosophy: “bearing witness.” This form of passive resistance involves going to the scene of an objectionable activity to register opposition simply by being present. The Stowes believed, following the example of Mahatma Gandhi, that citizens acting with integrity and courage could defeat powerful forces. This principle continues to guide Greenpeace actions to this day.

The birth of the name “Greenpeace” 🔗

Marie Bohlen was first to suggest taking a boat to Amchitka to confront the nuclear test, inspired by the anti-nuclear voyages of Albert Bigelow in 1958. At the end of one committee meeting at Vancouver’s Unitarian Church, Irving Stowe flashed the V sign and said “Peace.” Canadian ecologist Bill Darnell quietly replied, “Make it a green peace.”

This simple phrase brilliantly merged the peace and ecology movements into a single concept. When the words wouldn’t fit on buttons for the group’s first fundraiser, Jim Bohlen’s son Paul linked them together: “Green Peace” became “Greenpeace.” The committee raised funds through a benefit concert in October 1970 featuring Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Phil Ochs, which raised over $23,000 to charter a boat.

The first voyage and its impact 🔗

On September 15, 1971, the committee chartered a fishing boat called the Phyllis Cormack, renamed it “The Greenpeace,” and set sail toward Amchitka with twelve crew members aboard. Though the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted them before they reached the test site, the voyage generated enormous media coverage. The negative publicity may have contributed to the U.S. abandoning the Amchitka test program just five months later. The island was subsequently turned into a wildlife sanctuary.

In 1972, the Don’t Make a Wave Committee officially changed its name to the Greenpeace Foundation. The movement soon expanded beyond anti-nuclear activism to include campaigns against commercial whaling and toxic waste dumping.

From Vancouver to Europe and the world 🔗

Following the first voyage, David McTaggart emerged as a transformative figure. In 1972, he sailed his yacht to French Polynesia to protest French atmospheric nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. After being assaulted by French forces during a 1973 mission, photographs of the attack circulated worldwide and contributed to France halting aboveground nuclear testing in 1974.

McTaggart then worked to consolidate scattered Greenpeace groups across Europe and North America. The European Greenpeace offices were well-organized and financially stable, while the original Canadian office had fallen into debt. On October 14, 1979, Greenpeace International was formally established, uniting the various national organizations under a single coordinating body. The headquarters eventually moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where it remains today.

Defining the Greenpeace mission: six pillars for a better planet 🔗

From its origins as an anti-nuclear protest group, Greenpeace evolved into a structured global campaign framework addressing interconnected environmental and peace issues. The organization’s mission crystallized around six key campaign areas that continue to guide its direct actions and advocacy work worldwide.

Catalyzing an energy revolution 🔗

Combating climate change stands at the heart of Greenpeace’s mission. The organization campaigns to phase out fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources. Through its “Go Beyond Oil” campaign and related initiatives, Greenpeace has challenged oil drilling operations in the Arctic and other sensitive ecosystems, pushing governments and corporations to embrace clean energy alternatives.

Defending oceans and marine reserves 🔗

Since its early “Save the Whales” campaigns in the 1970s, ocean protection has been central to Greenpeace’s identity. Today, the organization works to create marine reserves, combat overfishing, and address ocean pollution. A landmark achievement came with the Global Ocean Treaty, which over sixty governments have now ratified, establishing protections for international waters and working toward protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Protecting ancient forests 🔗

Greenpeace focuses on preserving the world’s remaining ancient forests, which serve as critical carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots. The organization investigates and exposes illegal logging operations, particularly in regions like the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asian rainforests. Through a combination of direct action, corporate pressure, and policy advocacy, Greenpeace has secured protections for vast forest areas around the world.

Working for disarmament and peace 🔗

True to its origins in anti-nuclear activism, Greenpeace continues to campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons and an end to nuclear threats. The organization promotes peace and global disarmament, opposing both nuclear weapons proliferation and the expansion of nuclear power. This pillar connects directly to the founding vision of Irving and Dorothy Stowe and the other original activists who saw environmental protection and peace as inseparable goals.

Creating a toxic-free future 🔗

Greenpeace works to eliminate hazardous chemicals from consumer products and industrial processes. The organization has successfully pressured major electronics manufacturers and fashion brands to remove toxic substances from their supply chains. Through research, public education, and corporate campaigns, Greenpeace advocates for safer alternatives that protect both human health and the environment.

Campaigning for sustainable agriculture 🔗

The organization challenges industrial agricultural practices that threaten biodiversity and public health, including the use of genetically modified organisms and harmful pesticides. Greenpeace promotes ecological farming methods that work with nature rather than against it, supporting small-scale farmers and advocating for food systems that are both sustainable and equitable.

A legacy of bearing witness 🔗

From a handful of activists meeting in a Vancouver church basement to a global network operating across 55 countries, Greenpeace has maintained its founding commitment to non-violent direct action and bearing witness to environmental destruction. The organization continues to use what Bob Hunter called “media mindbombs”-powerful images and stories that shift public consciousness and force solutions to environmental crises.

Dorothy Stowe once reflected, “It is amazing what a few people sitting around their kitchen table can achieve.” That spirit of determined, hopeful activism continues to define Greenpeace more than fifty years after its founding, inspiring new generations to stand between the harpoon and the whale, between the oil rig and the ocean, between destruction and the preservation of life on Earth.

What do you think? How has the merging of peace and environmental movements shaped the way we approach global challenges today? And in an era of climate crisis, do you believe the tactics of direct action and “bearing witness” remain as relevant as they were in 1971?

References

1. https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/48361/greenpeace-history-anniversary-founders-1971/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_a_Wave_Committee
3. https://www.greenpeace.org/international/about/founders/
4. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-15/greenpeace-is-born
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/greenpeace
7. https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/act/protect-the-oceans/
8. https://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/mission-values/
9. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greenpeace