Greenpeace and the Environmental Movement

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

­-Gandhi

In the world of environmental activism, there are two prevailing schools of thought. The first is that of the radical, militant environmentalist, and the second is the mainstream activist. The militant environmentalist, sometimes labeled the "eco-terrorist" by governmental organizations, espouses the belief that environmental preservation can only be accomplished through direct, concrete, and oftentimes violent methods to stop environmental destruction in its tracks (Wapner, In Defense of Banner Hangers). The militant environmentalist generally denounces the political process as a slow and ineffective tool, frequently opposing the concept of government in its entirety (Wapner, In Defense of Banner Hangers). Paul Wapner, in his book Environmental Activism and World Civil Politics defines such an activist as a "sub-statist," in that he attributes environmental destruction to large societal bodies like government, and views the solution to environmental problems to be the destruction of such structures. As sub-statist Theodore Roszack wrote in his book, Person/Planet, "...both person and planet are threatened by the same enemy. The bigness of things." Such groups as EarthFirst! and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) make up the militant, sub-statist environmentalist movement, and are often portrayed negatively in the media for sabotaging and destroying private property in the name of environmental protection (Wapner, In Defense of Banner Hangers).