The history of Greenpeace - How eco-hippies launched a global organisation | DW Documentary

Greenpeace was initially founded by a small group of climate-conscious hippies. Their immediate goal: to prevent American nuclear tests in Alaska. Today, this tiny band of eco-warriors has grown -- into a global organisation.

What’s the story behind this success? The film looks at formative events, like the occupation of the Brent Spar oil platform, which generated huge amounts of publicity, and sent a powerful political message. Founders of the organisation relate how campaigns like these were planned to ensure maximum possible media coverage of the fight against whaling and the slaughter of seals. Over the years, this tried-and-tested method has generated both publicity and a great deal of money for Greenpeace.

In this film, author Sebastian Bellwinkel asks activists to recount their enthralling successes from the past. But he also asks questions of concern in the present day: do the old strategies still work in the digital age? The NGO has been criticized as "bureaucratic”: how does it view the media might of the "Fridays for Future” movement?

The film gives us a glimpse behind the scenes at Greenpeace. With access to the group’s enormous Hamburg warehouse, the camera team witnesses the making of a typical Greenpeace banner. It also accompanies Greenpeace activists staging a publicity stunt on the roof of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

But while they may still generate headlines, are stunts like these really an effective way to tackle the imminent climate catastrophe?

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