How did you come to be working on Greenpeace ships?
I used to work as press officer & spokesman for Greenpeace Hungary. Last summer two of our activists came on board and took part in plenty of actions. For pushing their story in the media, I spent long days in the office, waiting for the latest news about the actions. I dreamed about being on the Esperanza and worked hard for more than a year in the office without any rest or hollidays and then suddenly the opportunity to join the crew appeared this year. I had no time to waste, I had to pack my stuff and three days later I was on the ship!
What kind of work do you do on the ship?
I work as a deckhand. Our main duty is to keep the ship clean and take care of her beauty. This second thing is not that easy, as she is over 20 years old and we have a permanent, never ending fight againts the rust. We attack, as soon as we discover any little redish patch and our weapons are the needlegun, the scraper, the wirebrush, and the different sorts of paint and primers.
In addition to the general deck work I have a special role on the ship. As a new volunteer, without seagoing experience, I become the garbologist, so one of my daily tasks is to take care of all the rubbish we produce on board. Different types of waste must be separated before they are stored.
If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I would like to erase the selfish idea of "my" or "mine" from every human being's mind. Afterwards I think we could start to set up a much better life on this Earth.
