Greenpeace Day Date in the current year: September 15, 2024

The predecessor of Greenpeace was the Don’t Make a Wave Committee, an anti-nuclear organization founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A group of activists formed the committee in 1969 to protest against underground nuclear testing that the United States performed on Amchitka Island in Alaska; the activists were afraid that the test could trigger earthquakes and cause a tsunami that would affect Canada.

The Don’t Make a Wave Committee was officially established in early 1970. One of its founders, Irving Stowe, organized a benefit concert that took place at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on October 16, 1970. The funds raised by the concert were used to charter the seine fishing boat Phyllis Cormack to travel to Amchitka and stage a protest against nuclear testing. They named the expedition Greenpeace I.

On September 15, 1971, the expedition set sail towards Amchitka. This day is considered the birthday of Greenpeace, although the organization wasn’t officially established until 1972. The U. S. Coast Guard ship Confidence forced the activists to turn back, but upon their return to Canada they discovered that their journey had earned them widespread support. And this is how Greenpeace began.

Today, Greenpeace is the world’s largest environmental organization consisting of Greenpeace International (the governing organization headquartered in Amsterdam) and 26 largely autonomous regional offices that operate in more than 55 countries on all inhabited continents. Greenpeace campaigns on a number of global environmental issues including anti-nuclear issues, climate change, commercial whaling, deforestation, genetic engineering, and overfishing. Its methods include direct action, ecotage (sabotage carried out for ecological reasons), lobbying, and research.

Greenpeace Day was first observed in 2011 in Vancouver to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization. Celebrations included tree planting, workshops on environmental activism, an outdoor festival, various performances, and other family-friendly activities. Although the 2011 Greenpeace Day was conceived as a one-off event, environmental activists across the world continued on with the celebration.

Greenpeace Day isn’t just about Greenpeace; it can be considered a celebration of environmental activism in general. You can observe the day by learning more about the species and ecosystems that desperately need protection, donating to any environmental non-profit of your choice, volunteering your time an effort to support the cause, raising environmental awareness any way you can, and committing to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, which includes conserving water and energy, avoiding single-use plastic, waste sorting, recycling, etc.