About
Greenpeace is an International environmental organization founded in 1971 and based in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The group believes in nonviolent protest and education to exact change and protect natural resources.
Online History
Mr Splashy Pants
Mr. Splashy Pants is the name given to a humpback whale that was tracked via satellite by Greenpeace in December of 2007. The name was chosen after it won an online poll conducted by Greenpeace that garnered attention from several websites including Reddit and BoingBoing.
“Let’s Go! Arctic!”
Let’s Go! Arctic is a mock advertising campaign created by Greenpeace and The Yes Men in June of 2012. The hoax consisted of an elaborately staged gaffe at a fake event arranged on behalf of Shell Oil Company, a mock website purported to be the company’s and a fake press release alleging that Shell’s lawyers were considering legal actions against the involved parties.
Everything Is Not Awesome
On July 8th, 2014, Greenpeace’s YouTube channel[1] uploaded a video titled “LEGO: Everything is NOT awesome” which featured a model of the arctic built with LEGOs. As oil, which came from Shell oil company, began to cover the model the Lego Movie song “Everything Is Awesome” played in a minor, and thus somber key. The video called for those watching to encourage LEGO to end its partnership with Shell. The video was covered by many websites including The Guardian[2] and Forbes.[3] In less than a week the video gained over 3.1 million views.
Viral Videos
On August 20th, 2007, Greenpeace uploaded a video (below, left) to their YouTube channel titled “Hundreds strip naked on glacier in global warming protest” which featured footage of a nude protest on the Swiss Alps. As of July 2014, the video has gained over 1.8 million views. On April 21st, 2008, Greenpeace uploaded a video (below, right) titled “Dove Onslaught(er)” which illustrated the destruction of Indonesian forests caused by the need for palm oil, which Dove features in its product and called for viewers to ask Dove to forgo palm oil. As of July 2014, the video has gained over 1.8 million views.
On June 6th, 2011, Greenpeace uploaded a video (below, left) titled “Barbie’s rainforest destruction habit REVEALED!” which featured a mock interview with an animated Ken doll who learned Barbie packaging causes rainforest deforestation and calls for viewers to ask Barbie manufacturer Mattel to stop using rainforest packaging materials. As of July 2014, the video has gained over 1.7 million views. On October 24th, 2013, Greenpeace uploaded a video (below, right) titled “Detox: How People Power is Cleaning Up Fashion” which covered the movement within the fashion industry to use less toxic chemicals and become more responsible about the disposal of their industrial waste. As of July 2014, the video has gained over 1 million views.
Social Media Presence
As of July 2014, Greenpeace’s Facebook page[4] has gained over 270,000 likes and its Twitter account[5] has gained over 100,000 followers. Its YouTube channel has over 83,000 subscribers and Pinterest account[6] has over 2,000 followers.