Today we launched our popular Guide to Greener Electronics in Japanese, for the very first time, as part of a week of activities to mark the 20th Anniversary of Greenpeace in Japan.

Regular readers will know Greenpeace in Japan has not had an easy ride, especially lately with the Tokyo Two case. We decided to launch the Guide in Japanese for two simple reasons:

The Guide includes Japanese companies such as Toshiba, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Fujitsu and Nintendo. These companies have large markets in Japan that our English version of the Guide doesn’t reach normally.

Greenpeace is often incorrectly portrayed in Japan as being only about whaling and being anti Japanese. Greenpeace’s work in other areas is not known and the fact that Greenpeace has helped drive progressive environmental change from some of the biggest companies in Japan (OK not so much from Nintendo!) is a fact that could help change important perceptions of Greenpeace in Japan.

Zeina journeyed from Amsterdam to Tokyo to be our international spokesperson, the office put in sterling work to translate 37 pages of dense company information into, apparently, 137 pages of Japanese text – obviously complex terms like precautionary principle and Individual producer responsibility must be really long in Japanese.

Zeina phoned today to report that the launch press conference went really well with lots of important Japanese media there and asking detailed questions about how we rated Japanese companies environmental performance. We’ll have to wait and see what’s written in the media but as one journalist from the Asahi Shimbun (second biggest daily paper in Japan) told Zeina:

“You’ve change my whole perception of Greenpeace”

Now if we get media stories even half as positive as this quote it will be mission accomplished.

Posted by Tom at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Job well done by the Sierra Club, which has been following the scam. Now there's Congress is investigating. From the Sierra Club blog...

Oh for shame, lobbyists. An investigation has found that a lobbying firm forged letters from the NAACP and a Hispanic community organization in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying that the organizations opposed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The forged letters went to Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA 5th) and as expected, the community groups are incensed (as are the rest of us).

Neither of the groups oppose the bill.

UPDATE: Groups Impersonated by Big Coal Testify Before Congress

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Posted by Andrew at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where Monsanto is concerned, it isn’t a good idea to assume good intentions – just ask Percy and Louise Schmeiser in Canada, who spent years locked in legal battles.

The Genetic Engeneering Approval Committee (GEAC) in India should probably have thought about this a bit before approving Bt Brinjal last week – a type of eggplant that produces a pesticide (Bacillus thuringiensis) that is normally sprayed on fields. To say the least, the approval process was botched up:

- The data regarding the effects on human health - received directly from Monsanto’s Indian branch - was insufficiently tested. Three scientists in the GEAC voted against the approval for Bt Brinjal precisely for this reason.

- The only other study on Bt Brinjal (the only one not produced by the company trying to get approval) showed concerns for potential negative effects on human health.

- Civil society and farmers have been increasingly vocal against the lack of transparency of the entire process and pointing out the risks.

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Posted by Juliette at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nice to see people all across the country getting out there. Big diversity of events. Some civil disobedience (apparently you can get arrested in the US just for putting a sign on someone's fence), and lots of fun stuff too.

Posted by Andrew at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of the weird consequences of overfishing is the very real possibility that the niche left by fish species will be replaced by jellyfish. It makes for nice scary pieces of news ("Jellyfish invasion! They have stings, and they're dumb!"), pretty photos, but the real question for all seafood lovers out there is: does jellyfish and chips taste any good?

British cartoonist Steven Appleby tried to find a way we could cook it at how we could cook it:

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Posted by Juliette at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we launched the latest version of our Cool IT leaderboard - take a look a which of the biggest names in IT are doing the most on the top priorities to tackle climate change. As well as scores we've added more background on the issue and started the first in series of comparisons, starting with Google v Microsoft. This is all the product of many company meetings, phone calls, sifting through carbon disclosure project reports and lobby expenditure filings along with far more late nights team discussions than I care to remember!

The leaderboard covers companies measurable climate solutions, climate advocacy and efforts to reduce their own emissions. With the vital UN climate meeting in Copenhagen fast approaching we are focusing on which companies are speaking out in support of a strong deal that is vital for the planet, as well as being good for IT companies bottom line. In short no company really stands out on climate advocacy, even Google, with a relatively high score on advocacy has been silent on Copenhagen.

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Posted by Tom at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There's rejoicing in Finland, where we just notched up another victory protecting some of Europe's last old growth forests!

Just 2 months after a lawsuit against Finland's State forest service was settled by a deal which will protect the Nellim forest, we have reached a major victory on our other old-growth forest campaign. We’re pleased to announce that following intensive negotiations, Finnish State forest enterprise, Metsähallitus, has agreed to leave 35 000 hectares of boreal forests intact. It's a decision that significantly improves old-growth forest protection and will bring peace to the forests and its inhabitants.

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Posted by Anne-Marije at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Myrto, our EU sustainable agriculture campaigner - tells us about the farmers who delivered 180,000 signatures to the EU Commission this month.

“Picture this: nature is like a piano, the music that nature plays with all its piano keys is the biodiversity, imagine now that GMOs [genetically manipulated organisms] coming into the picture, that piano has now only one key, the Monsanto key!”

With this beautiful metaphor Eduardo Campayo a spanish organic farmer from Spain began to describe his personal experience with GE (genetically engineered) crops - to EU Commissioner of Health Vassiliou, Belgian Minister Lutgen, MEPs and EU journalists.

Eduardo was not alone meeting all these people in Brussels earlier this month. He was joined by Fernando Jose Llobel, the president of the Organic Consumer Association from the same region in Spain (Albacete), Peter Nielsson an organic potato and dairy farmer from Sweden and Samnieng Huadlim a very dynamic 65 year old woman and organic rice farmer from Thailand.

All of them joined us in Brussels to deliver the Greenpeace petition signed by 180,000 people - against the introduction of Bayer’s GE rice into the EU.

I wish everyone who had signed the rice petition could have been there - to meet these amazing organic farmers and hear them speaking their truth from the heart. You would not have any doubt that all of them have made a conscious choice to produce healthy food, work with nature, help their communities. And their message was so clear -- GE crops are putting all this at risk.

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Posted by Lisa at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Here's a post from Jules, who is working in our Japan office:

At the end of September, Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama received a parcel filled with 1000 Origami cranes, better known as Origami Tsuru.

The cranes started their journey approximately 10,000 km from Tokyo, in the picturesque town of Waging am See near Munich, Germany. Here “Greenteam Löwenzahn” (Greenteam Dandelion) member Evangeline (14) read about the trial of the “Tokyo Two”, and how our activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are on trial for trying to save whales by exposing the corrupt Japanese whaling programme for what it is. Evangeline knew immediately that she and her friends needed to take action, to protect whales and ensure Junichi and Toru receive a fair trial in a country where being charged for an alleged crime will see you convicted of it 99% of the time.

In the past, “Greenteam Löwenzahn” has actively worked to protect whales by setting up information boards in their schools, collecting signatures against whaling in the streets of their hometowns, and organising events where children in Germany can give their vote (in form of a self-painted whale picture) for the life of the Whales.

However, this time the pupils felt that they needed to drive the message home to Japan. Some of the members of “Greenteam Löwenzahn” have lived in Japan before, and know about the Japanese custom of making making a wish to the Gods in exchange for folding 1000 paper cranes. A custom that is particularly poignant when pleading for the life of a loved one.

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Posted by Lisa at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Photo: © Greenpeace / Christian Aslund

Back in August, our activists sailed to Sweden to drop 180 enormous granite blocks into the sea. It was an odd sight, to be sure, but the action effectively protected an environmentally-rich area called the Kattegat from bottom-trawling, a fishing method in which nets are dragged across the ocean floor, haphazardly scooping up everything in their way.

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Posted by Sasha at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Here's the latest from Mike, on board the Esperanza, as the oceans team arrived in the Cook Islands this week.

Our tour is wrapping up. We steamed into port here in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on the 19th. We spent the last few days of the tour in high seas pocket number 3 (see a map of the high seas pockets here), looking for fishing vessels that are threatening the future of the Pacific. And let me tell you, we had absolutely no problems finding them.

On Thursday, the 15th, we found a Taiwanese long-liner, Kai Jie No. 1, that had no license to fish in the waters of any Pacific island countries. This does not make it illegal for them to be fishing on the high seas, since these waters belong to no particular nation, but this is one of the main ways fishing fleets get around the regulations that Pacific island countries are introducing to better manage their tuna stocks.

We spoke with the captain of the vessel and explained that what he was doing was decimating the tuna stocks that Pacific island nations rely on and asked him to pull in his line. When he refused, we took action. We went out and, using a special contraption designed by our fitter from the first leg of the tour, Jono, to hold the line up out of the water, we went down the long-line and removed the bait from their hooks.

I shot this video of the action, in which our resident marine life expert, Gabe, explains more about the process:

Longline action on the high seas from Mike G on Vimeo.

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Posted by Lisa at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apple has just posted on its website that its has cleared the last hurdle in eliminating toxic PVC plastic and is the first PC maker to completely eliminate hazardous brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride plastic in its new iMac and Macbook.

Removing PVC from PC power cords was the last step in Apple’s industry leading position on toxics elimination. Apple was first with PCs virtually free of BFRs and PVC (except for the power cord) in March this year. While HP recently produced their first BFR/PVC free (except power cord) model, Apple has again moved further ahead of the competition

While removing the last use of PVC might not sound like a big deal it means Apple’s new products will be safer and easier to recycle and cause less pollution at the end of life. There were significant technical and safety certification barriers to finding PVC alternatives but Apple has now proved it is now possible and has completed the phase out, while reducing product price and boosting profits.

Apple’s PVC free power cords are only available in certain markets currently but should be available more widely when safety certification is obtained.

This lays down the gauntlet to other major PC makers such as Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer to catch up with Apple again, and we’ll be keeping up our pressure on them to match Apple’s lead.

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Posted by Tom at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Democratic societies around the world depend on brave people who don't hesitate to put their careers, freedom or lives on the line to blow the whistle when they see something illegal. It's not an easy role to be in. You'll be called a snitch. If no one listens, in certain cases, you'll see your career crumble before your eyes. The most frustrating case must be when someone does hear - and then makes a point of not listening and prosecutes you.

This is what is happening to Junichi and Toru in Japan. The evidence they brought forward regarding a whale meat embezzlement scandal is being ignored, while they are prosecuted for theft - an attempt at covering up the actual scandal.

A lower court refused to look at the evidence. This is now brought to the Supreme Court of Japan. Write to the judge, and ask them to open their eyes to the real scandal - take your turn at being a whistle blower.

Posted by Juliette at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The current disarray at the US Chamber of Commerce over its lobbying against climate legislation was made for the Yes Men and their unique style of humorous expose. Sure enough, several US media outlets reported that the Chamber had announced a reversal of its position. Entertaining video:

There's more background here, also reported in the Wall Street Journal blog, Guardian, Huff Post, apparently Reuters and CNBC reported the initial announcement. There's a nice description of the way the Chamber had to madly scramble to deny it was changing position in the Guardian:

The spokesman said he learned of the hoax when a reporter came to the Chamber office looking for the press conference. Wohlschlegel said he immediately leaped into a taxi.

Here's what the Chamber really should be saying about climate, rather than its inane "we support climate legislation, (just not any that actually exists now) line.

Posted by Tom at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Washington State, a black US government hired helicopter flies 50 feet above the desert scrub searching for... radioactive rabbit dung.

Somehow, unfortunate rabbits managed to get into the Hanford nuclear site (which made made bomb grade stuff for the US nuclear weapons program). They snacked, became contaminated, snuck back out and "spread the wealth" in the form of contaminated poo.

Now, a helicopter with detection equipment is mapping out the locations of these droppings, so removal teams can go in and "clean" them up. (How's that for a sucky job?)

But don't worry. The $300,000 helicopter operation is apparently an extremely good deal. Really, a bargain. And the mistakes that led to this were all made long long ago. Well, that's what the newspapers tell me anyway.

I'm sure nothing like this could ever happen again. Certainly not with sea gulls.

(Thanks to Nuclear Reaction for the tip and lovely rabbit story.)

Posted by Andrew at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my daily news/ blog scans about everything environment and Greenpeace related, I often read comments from people who think we're just a bunch of disorganised, unwashed, unemployed, uninformed hippies.

If you think that, or hear that being said, read this little paragraph from a letter sent to us by Professor Peter Wadhams from Cambridge university after he stayed on the Arctic Sunrise:

"The support offered by the whole crew on board was amazing - unstinted, professional, and far better than I normally find on government-owned research ships.
[...]
As well as the main work on ice thickness decay rates there were two graduate student projects which benefited from access to the ship. [...] Both students will owe a considerable debt to Greenpeace for the research material for their PhD theses. In addition, the officers were most helpful in assisting the maintenance of an ice log throughout the voyage, the results of which will be used as input to the first edition of a book by the Canadian Ice Service on field identification of new and old ice."

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Posted by Juliette at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

UPDATE: Freedom of press win! Gag rule lifted!

Here's a little background on Trafigura, and how we've crossed paths with the company (which is getting a lot of heat on Twitter.

On July 2, 2006, the Probo Koala (chartered by Trafigura) attempted to unload waste in Amsterdam. Noting the strong-smelling nature of the waste and probable toxic nature, harbour authorities told the ship that the waste would be more expensive to dispose of. The ship refused to pay extra treatment costs and left Amsterdam.

Apparently, from there it went to the Ivory Coast, where the BBC picks up the story...

BBC Newsnight has uncovered evidence revealing that oil-trading company Trafigura knew that waste dumped in Ivory Coast in 2006 was hazardous.

Trafigura had persistently denied that the waste was harmful but internal e-mails show staff knew it was hazardous.
...
The chemical waste came from a ship called Probo Koala and in August 2006 truckload after truckload of it was illegally fly-tipped at 15 locations around Abidjan, the biggest city in Ivory Coast.

In the weeks that followed the dumping, tens of thousands of people reported a range of similar symptoms, including breathing problems, sickness and diarrhoea.

Blockade of the Probo Koala

© Greenpeace/Christian Åslund.

By the time we heard about the dumping, the Probo Koala was back in Europe, presumably picking up another load of something dangerous. Our ship, the Arctic Sunrise, moved in a blockaded the Probo Koala - keeping it from leaving port until the international judicial process worked it's way through. After three days, authorities detained the Probo Koala and launched their own investigation.

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Posted by Andrew at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I am a daughter, wife, architect, designer, communicator, film maker, photographer and more but before everything else I think of myself as an activist, who wakes up every morning with single motive – to do at least a small thing that will save my planet from the upcoming hidden disasters.

It’s been more than a month when I joined Greenpeace. But if I think exactly when I started believing in myself and the power of change that we and only we can make to save our planet, it’s very hard to say. I remember the time during my Architectural graduation when we were asked to write our thesis on the topic of our choice and I decided to work with ‘Juveniles behind bars’. It was an amazing experience, and during that time I also made some commitments to myself that I am still trying to fulfil. And working with Greenpeace is one step towards the long journey.

Posted by Nidhi at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’ve been following closely corporate action in the run up to the vital Climate meeting in Copenhagen in December. Like it or not, when big CEO’s speak, politicians listen. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much to follow for most of the year. Sectors like the IT industry (who stand to be big winners from a strong global deal to significantly cut emissions) have been very quiet, during this crucial period.

Now, as though someone has poked a slumbering giant somewhere very painful, all hell has broken lose in the US in the last few weeks. As Grist puts it “Could corporate America finally be stirring from its climate change slumber?” In reality vested corporate interests of old dirty industry certainly haven’t been slumbering, they and their trade bodies (who often do the grubby job of lobbying) have been putting in overtime for years to keep any chance of effective legislation off the table, especially in the US. That’s the biggest reason why current legislation before the US Senate is far too weak.

The US chamber of Commerce has been leading this charge: “No organization in this country has done more to undermine [climate] legislation,” according to the New York Times editorial page. We covered Apple’s departure and background on our main site yesterday but after so long without this issue being given proper scrutiny there’s been a rash of high profile US media stories on the issue. Businessweek points out why Apple’s departure matters, Boston Globe highlights how the Chamber’s climate scaremongering is coming back to haunt them. The New York Times points out what a mess the Chamber seems to be in over its decision making on Climate. The San Francisco Chronicle has companies fleeing the Chamber like it has the plague.

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Posted by Tom at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In TIME magazine's Heroes of the Environment, Cameron Diaz was praised for taking a stand for the environment. Why? For asking questions. Sounds simple but if you think about it, we spend so much of our time looking for answers that we forget about the power of questions.

As TIME rightly points out, it's easy for celebrities to put on an earnest face and tell us average folks to start driving hybrid cars and investing in solar panels because, unlike the average person, they don't gasp at the cost of a hybrid car or a row of solar panels. But unlike the average celebrity, Diaz isn't telling us what to do. Instead, she's asking questions and asking you to start asking questions, as well. Traveling across America she's posing the questions, "where does your water come from? How about the air you breathe and the food you eat?"

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Posted by Anne-Marije at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Conveniently green is my favourite colour and I also like peace. What more to say? Kidding aside, no I really do like a lot of green things,...broccoli, willow trees, frogs, eery mountain lakes...

Having just joined the Communications team at GPI, I'm really excited about working towards the campaigns and looking forward to a bit of blogging here too! In the last few years I've lived in London, Tokyo and Amsterdam, worked in conservation, events, media/design and journalism, and spent some time in between traveling in different countries. Seeing some of the immense diversity and beauty of the world and its inhabitants made realize how much I want what Greenpeace wants... so here I am!

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you have an iphone, palm pre or a mobile that runs on Google's android system, you can check out the latest Greenpeace guide to greener electronics on your handset here: http://www.greenpeace.org/electronicswebapp

Nidhi, one of our new communications interns, made it the other day. Called a "mobile webapp", it's really just a webpage with some fancy javascript and stylesheets (from jQTouch).

We published the latest edition of the Guide to Greener Electronics last week, and silently launched this mobile version too. There are some bugs still, but for a few hours work it'll do the trick. (If you know how to fix the twitter status bug, please leave a comment here! Other suggestions also very welcome!)

Posted by Eoin at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of our Communications Managers, Prajna Khanna, writes:

With the simple act of making salt, Gandhi concluded one of the most successful Non violent protests in History – the Salt march. He mobilised millions with his vision of a free state, symbolized by the freedom to make salt – the essence of Indian food. The United Nations marks the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth today as International day of Non Violence. And Greenpeace marks it with 22 activists in Svalbard – near the top of the world -- by blocking a shipment of coal..

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Posted by Brian at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This week, the Dalai Lama visited Calgary, Alberta, Canada and spoke about the problems the world is facing today. Thousands gathered to hear the spiritual leader’s compassionate message and opinion about issues such as military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The destruction of your neighbour is destruction of yourself,” he said. “The concept of war is out of date."

While on the topic of destruction, when asked about Alberta’s oilsands, the spiritual leader said, in a choice between "destruction of environment or losing money, then we have to choose losing money."

His words of wisdom ring so true.

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Posted by Anne-Marije at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Join the Prince's Rainforest Project in an enormous effort to transmit the world’s biggest SOS on behalf of Earth's rainforests.

Posted by Lisa at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)