Greenpeace Russia marks 20th anniversary
MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - A leading environmental organization of the country, Greenpeace Russia, marked its 20th jubilee on Tuesday.
"In Russia the organization is solving problems of waste and environmental pollution with dangerous chemicals, protects the Arctic from industrial development, protects and creates new nature reserves and national parks, fights logging and construction projects in forests, fights fires and promotes alternative energy projects," says a Russian Greenpeace report obtained by Interfax.
"Strict internal rules and support of thousands of people across the country allow Greenpeace to remain independent. The organization exists exclusively on private donations and does not take money from commercial, state or political structures. Russian Greenpeace has over 5,300 financial contributors and more than 200,000 volunteers and online activists," the report said.
Greenpeace opened an office in the USSR in 1989 after a long coordination process. Back then it was the only international environmental organization in the country. Funds for opening the Greenpeace Russian office in 1989 were raised with a charity album "Breakthrough" created by acclaimed musicians, U2, Sting, Belinda Carlisle and Eurhythmics.
"The history of Greenpeace Russia started after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1992. The first office opened in Moscow, and the St. Petersburg division became operational in 2001. Greenpeace employs slightly more than 70 people in the country with the biggest territory and a multi-million population," the report said.
The environmentalists said that participation of average people and joint work with other public organizations had enabled Greenpeace to keep an oil pipeline away from the Baikal Lake, force the authorities not to build waste incineration plants in Moscow, to prevent construction projects in valuable parts of the Sochi National Park, and to convince a number of companies not to bring radioactive waste to Russia and a Finnish company not to log in Karelian forests, where the Kalevala National Park was opened later on.