NETWORK Newsletter for Greenpeace activists June/July 2009

NEWS UPDATE: A Greenpeace direct communication tells Nobu to stop serving bluefin tuna

Greenpeace activists visited London Nobu restaurants – part owned by Robert De Niro – to stop it serving bluefin tuna. Activists
used bluefin silhouettes to ask celebrity diners on Nobu’s first floor restaurants to tell Nobu to take bluefin off the menu. Nobu
knows that bluefin tuna is just as endangered as gorilla, rhino and tiger, yet is still serving the species.

Clockwise from main picture: A Greenpeace activist greets diners with a spoof Nobu menu containing dishes made from other species that are as endangered as bluefin, eg Siberian Tiger, Gorilla
and Polar Bear / Sugababe Amelle poses with Greenpeace activists, telling Nobu to take bluefin off the menu / Comedy actor Jack Black and friends enter the restaurant clutching a spoof menu /
Clean graffiti – created by cleaning away dirt instead of painting over it – appears outside Nobu.

© Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace

© Dennis Gill

© Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace

© Dennis Gill

www.greenpeace.org.uk/active
 INTERNATIONAL
© Andy Bodycombe / Greenpeace
Above: A Greenpeace artist paints the manga of Junichi and Toru.
Below: Wish ribbons saying ‘justice’ and ‘truth’ are tied to the trees.
Wishes for the Tokyo Two
Willie Mackenzie, oceans campaign
The two Japanese activists Junichi and Toru are
still awaiting trial and facing imprisonment in
Japan for their part in exposing the
embezzlement of whale meat from the Japanese
government’s whaling programme last year.
So, Greenpeace volunteers paid another visit to
the Japanese embassy in London last month.
Having collected hundreds of messages of
support for the Tokyo Two on Japanese ribbons,
we tied the ribbons to two trees to create
wishing trees. We then took these traditional
Japanese symbols of hope to the embassy to
present to the Japanese ambassador. Meanwhile,
we recreated the story of the Tokyo Two in a
giant manga style mural, opposite the embassy.
This direct communication took place to tell the
Japanese government that Junichi and Toru must
receive genuine justice.
This has become a politically motivated
prosecution designed to distract attention from
the real crime, the embezzlement of whale meat
from a supposedly scientific whaling programme,
but the world is now watching.
Thanks to all who helped by showing their support.
We generated over 2,200 emails to the Japanese
embassy calling for Justice for the Tokyo Two.
© Andy Bodycombe / Greenpeace
It will take about 2,000 people to form the human chain around the current power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.
A Big IF around Miliband
Emma Gibson, climate campaign
‘The era of unabated coal is over’. This was the positive message from Climate and
Energy Minister, Ed Miliband, on 23 April – the same day that he announced a review
of UK coal policy.
So, good news and a big success for coal campaigners. The review is due to begin in
June and includes the following proposals:
• Any new power station must capture the carbon from at least 400 megawatts of
its electricity (for Kingsnorth, that represents about a quarter).
• The technology of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) should be proven by 2020.
• All new power stations must capture all of their carbon by 2025 if the
technology is ready.
Although these proposals are the initial steps towards a genuinely coherent climate
and energy policy, they are still a long way from being assured. And as they stand,
they are not nearly enough to safeguard the climate. Even with a quarter of its carbon
captured, Kingsnorth would still emit around six million tonnes of carbon a year –
more than the 25 least polluting countries combined.
We now need to push the government to demand that all CO2 emissions from dirty
coal plants like Kingsnorth are stopped from the very first day of operation. In order
to achieve this, Greenpeace is getting involved with two different projects, alongside
other organisations including Oxfam, RSPB, the World Development Movement and
the Women’s Institute.
First the Big IF will see individuals taking pledges. Each pledge will tell Ed Miliband
what action each person will take if Ed gives the go-ahead to dirty coal at Kingsnorth.
Secondly, for the Mili-Band, thousands of people will link hands around Kingsnorth in
opposition to dirty coal.
GET ACTIVE!
Join the Mili-Band on Saturday 4 July at Kingsnorth power station.
Show Ed Miliband that we won’t go away until UK energy policy truly protects the climate.
For more details and to book your place visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/miliband
Bring your friends… we need 2,000 people to make the Mili-Band work!
 SPOTLIGHT

© Richard Martin / Greenpeace

© Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace

The plants used by gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show are usually destroyed. By replanting them in villages around the proposed Sebastian in the garden at Canonbury Villas.
third runway site at Heathrow, activists and local residents are highlighting the destruction airport expansion would cause.

Sipson… the new Chelsea? Sebastian Seeney, Bethnal Green’s

Network Coordinator is looking
Anna Jones, climate campaign forward to working at Glastonbury
again this year.
The Airplot allotment launched at the beginning of May with celebrity guests and
gardening experts. Richard Briers, the man who brought allotments to the attention How did you get involved
of millions in 70s TV sensation The Good Life joined Gardeners World presenter, Alys with Greenpeace?
Fowler and Garden Organic, to officially open the Airplot allotment. Richard Briers I drifted in and out of involvement for a few
planted carrots, saying he would send one to each cabinet member every year until years. Then, when I moved to London after
the ‘daft’ plans for expansion are dropped. Alys and Garden Organic planted two university, I decided that I should get more
beautiful Bright Future apple trees, to symbolise a more sustainable future world. And permanently involved. So I joined my local
B&Q, one of a growing number of major UK businesses publicly opposing the third network, which at the time was Islington, and
have never looked back. Last year I became area
runway, showed their support by donating all the equipment.
networker for North East London and I’m now the
area networker for Bethnal Green.
Following this, on Bank Holiday Monday, we transported hundreds of plants from the
Chelsea Flower Show to Heathrow villages, teaming up with top Chelsea garden What have been the best moments?
designer Tom Hoblyn, guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds, activists from Plane Stupid Getting people to sign up to Give Coal the Boot
and local residents. Four beautiful guerrilla gardens sprung up in the sunshine, in at festivals and London fairs last summer was
colourful defiance of BAA’s plans. Local resident Linda described them as ‘symbols of great fun. People are so much more relaxed
the life and the resilience in our communities that will eventually defeat BAA and the and up for talking in a festival environment.
government who have pushed this expansion.’ And, of course, everyone showed lots of
enthusiasm when it came to making bootprints
But it’s not only plants that have been growing. Resistance to the runway continues in paint. Glastonbury is always an annual
to increase. Over 45,000 people have now signed up to become beneficial owners of highlight which I think everyone involved looks
forward to.
the Airplot, including around 50 MPs from all parties. As well as business leaders
voicing their opposition, Sir Nicholas Stern, one of the government’s top advisors,
What campaign success would you most
indicated that he thought the the government had made the wrong decision on
like to see?
Heathrow. Speaking at the Hay Festival, he said the decision was not in line with the I’d love to see an end to the government being
Government’s wider climate and transport policy. obsessed with the idea of developing coal and
nuclear. They need to realise that alternatives
already exist and that this is where the time and
GET ACTIVE! money should be going.

Write and ask your MP to become a beneficial owner of Airplot. What’s new with the Bethnal Green
Don’t forget to let your local network coordinator know if you get a response. network?
Visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/airplotmp to write to your MP. We’ll be celebrating our first year in August
which is great. The first year has been really good,
Contact your local gardening/allotment society. the network has been growing nicely and we’ve
been pretty active. We’re all hoping that our
Ask them to twin their allotments with the Airplot allotment, give Airplot a mention
second year will be even better. There’s so much
in their newsletter or even send carrots to the cabinet to demand a stop to Heathrow
enthusiasm within the network that I’m sure
expansion now.
it will be!
 TALK TALK

© EVE and Greenpeace / Marizilda Cruppe

© `centre for Alternative Technology

© Daniel Beltra / Greenpeace

© Will Rose / Greenpeace

Left to right: Brazilian nut trees – protected under Brazilian law – are burned to make way for soy or cattle farming / CAT is an eco-centre built in an old slate quarry in the
Espírito Santo Cattle Ranch, Pará State, Brazil / Nike trainers – an end product of illegal deforestation. foothills of Snowdonia.

Slaughtering the Amazon STREET CAMPAIGNING TRAINING

London, Sunday 19 July. Are you new to local
Sarah Shoraka, forest campaign
activism and want to campaign effectively on
the streets? These workshops are just for you.
Trainers, corned beef, handbags and car seats – not the usual daily preoccupations of a
Contact Richard (as below).
Greenpeace campaigner. But in the run up to the release of our new report, Slaughtering
the Amazon, beef and leather products occupied most of the forest team’s time.
GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL
26 – 28 June. If you’re coming along, check
Cattle ranching in the Amazon is the single biggest cause of deforestation worldwide. out the Greenpeace field, climb our Out of
Slaughtering the Amazon, released on 1 June, exposes the culmination of a three year Control tower, enjoy the overgrown runway
investigation into Brazil’s cattle industry. It reveals how farms involved in illegal and relax in our departure lounge. To
deforestation, and in some cases slavery, lie at the beginning of supply chains from global volunteer at next year’s Glastonbury, get
brands including Tesco, Adidas/Reebok, Nike, Clarks, BMW, Ford, Honda and Gucci. active with your local group/network now.

Greenpeace is working to stop big brands from trading with companies linked to Amazon CAT (CENTRE FOR ALTERNATIVE
destruction. We need to stop the Amazon destruction for cattle as we did for soya. TECHNOLOGY) SKILLSHARE WEEKEND
11 – 13 September. Relax and network at the
10th annual skillshare in beautiful mid-Wales.
The weekend is open to all active supporters.
GET ACTIVE! Contact jon@leafandstream.fsnet.co.uk
Tel 01766 830444/07515 9145146
Write to the CEOs of leading shoe companies.
Tell them their dependence on Amazon leather is contributing to large scale deforestation
and causing global climate change, visit www.greenpeace.org/everystepcounts ACTIVE SUPPORTER NETWORK OVERVIEW
Greenpeace’s active supporter network is made up
of network coordinators, local networks and
individual active supporters. Today we have 107
network coordinators, 93 networks and 23302
Supermarkets changing their tuna active supporters.

Willie Mackenzie, oceans campaign

CONTACT DETAILS
getactive@uk.greenpeace.org
Last year’s tuna league table ranked major brands of tinned tuna on their environmental
Rachael King
credentials. We called on retailers to move away from destructive and indiscriminate fishing
020 7865 8174
methods and buy pole-and-line caught fish, supporting the least environmentally damaging rachael.king@uk.greenpeace.org
way of catching tuna. UK retailers really stepped up to the challenge set by the league
Jo Melzack (Scotland, North England
table. Sainsbury’s, already top, have now expanded their range of pole-and-line caught & Northern Ireland) 0161 448 1929
tuna. Their own brand tinned tuna is now 100% pole-and-line – including the basic jo.melzack@uk.greenpeace.org
range. Marks & Spencer are also switching to 100% pole-and-line and even more Malcolm Carroll (West)
impressively are including all products that contain tuna such as sandwiches, salads and 020 7865 8172
ready meals. malcolm.carroll@uk.greenpeace.org
Richard Martin (South England)
As the second largest consumer of tinned tuna in the world, the UK can have a lot of 020 7865 8178
influence in the environmental impact that this food cupboard staple brings. richard.martin@uk.greenpeace.org

Canonbury Villas London N1 2PN t 020 7865 8100 f 020 7865 8200 www.greenpeace.org.uk