The Artful Change Mission

Greenpeace stirred up excitement in South Dakota today (July 8, 2009). The Greenpeace Actions Team deployed a 65 by 35 feet tall banner off the face of Mount Rushmore with a picture of President Obama on it. It states, "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming." Despite the dangerously windy conditions, the 12 climbers, successfully completed the action and was able to leave the banner up for an hour before it was taken down. This action was timed to go off just as the G-8 Summit in Italy began. The G-8 Summit is attended by eight of the most powerful leaders in the world, including the United States. As the world leaders are deciding what they will be doing about stopping runaway climate change, Greenpeace has demonstrated once again, the tenacity and resilience of the American people. We cannot stop short of making our voice heard loud and clear. Was this unnecessary? Considering that a mess of disagreements were abound at the G-8 Summit about what steps to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it looks like Greenpeace was right on target. The illegality of their actions are necessitated by the breaking of a higher moral law. This is one of Greenpeace's fundamental beliefs. And the higher moral law that is being compromised by the present state of affairs? The social and environmental implications of our fossil-fuel economy. I can definitely get on board with this. Watch the action:

 

Will Obama be a leader and lead us to a sustainable future? Greenpeace's message is clear. Leader's belong on Mount Rushmore, and we need him to lead.

*Edit 7/9/2009: Greenpeace received a call from the Obama administration to discuss the global warming policy almost immediately after the action. This shows that the impact of an action like this should not be underestimated.

Greenpeace has done it again. They have created a website to expose the absence of a sustainable seafood policy in Trader Joe's 300+ stores nationwide. Trader Joe's is popular for their low prices and use of natural and organic ingredients in their products, however they have done almost nothing to curb the destruction of our oceans while still seeming like they care about the health of their customers and the environment. In fact, they sell 15 of the 22 red list fish species. Red list species are farmed or caught in ways that are very harmful to the environment or other marine life. You can look up more specific information about red list species on the Greenpeace website or download and print a regional pocket guide from Monterey Bay Aquarium to help you make sustainable seafood choices when you are at a supermarket or restuarant. There is even a sushi guide available!

In the past, Greenpeace has done similar things to get other companies aware that consumers will not be complacent with environmentally destructive practices. They launched a campaign to get Apple to use less toxic materials in their computers and now Apple is the number one most environmentally friendly computer electronics brand. They do not do this simply to "make companies look bad", they are doing it to get them to make the right choices and to let them know that this is what consumers want. When they have done the right thing for the environment, Greenpeace makes the effort to celebrate their changes and make it known to the public that they are a leader in their field for environmental sustainability.

Trader Joe's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Jon Basolone said, "We simply listen to our customers". Greenpeace is now offering an way for us to speak out. If what Basolone says is true, then we have the ability to change their response to a rapidly depleted ocean, to a positive one for the environment.
 
Watch this spoof of Trader Joe's and take action.

I would like to share my hopes and views in regards to steps we can take as a nation to become a clean energy leader. There are many steps we must go through in order to reaps the benefits of a clean energy economy, but the rewards are great.