4 Strange Greenpeace Moments

Greenpeace has been at the forefront of political and environmental activism since its inception in 1971. While opposing nuclear testing and supporting environmental causes, Greenpeace has routinely been in the media spotlight, and often seeks out media coverage to promote its cause. Here are a few funny (and a few sad) moments in Greenpeace history.

1. Mister Splashy Pants

In 2007, Greenpeace held an online contest to name a humpback whale in the Southern Ocean. Surfers were invited to create a list of potential names, then to vote for their favorite name from the list. While most of the 30 names on the list were typical "whale names" -- including Talei, Libertad, Aiko, Mira, and Kaimana -- one jumped out: Mister Splashy Pants. Sites including Boing Boing, reddit, Digg, and others rallied web users everywhere to vote for Mister Splashy Pants, and on December 10, 2007 Greenpeace announced that indeed, Mister Splashy Pants was victorious:

Mister Splashy Pants got a huge 119,367 votes (over 78 percent of the vote) with his nearest rival being Humphrey at 4,329 (less than 3 percent). The rest of the top ten were Aiko, Libertad, Mira, Kaimana, Aurora, Shanti, Amal and Manami.

Greenpeace has since encouraged the public to Save Mister Splashy Pants by taking action against whale hunting and supporting Greenpeace. There's plenty of official "Mr. Splashy Pants Gear" available for those who love the splashy whale icon, but don't want to get all political.

2. Operation Satanic Sinks the Rainbow Warrior

The sinking caused a major international scandal, with French officials initially denying involvement. Two of the French agents were charged and imprisoned, while others were released due to issues of international law. Information about French President François Mitterrand's approval of the mission surfaced in 2005, shortly after he left office (update: this was a mistake; officials including French Defence Minister Charles Hernu resigned and Admiral Pierre Lacoste was fired as a result of the bombing). You can read more about the sinking at the Times Online, or on Wikipedia.

(Photo of Rainbow Warrior hull damage by Gil Hanly, via an excellent article in Facsimile Magazine.)

3. British Aliens Consider Earth "A Crap Sandwich"

Greenpeace UK put together a short film starring comedians Eddie Izzard, Jim Broadbent, and Joe McFadden. In the film, a group of corporate aliens hold a meeting regarding a proposed takeover of planet Earth. The result is a funny, inspiring piece conveying the Greenpeace message with a light touch. Check it out:

4. Rainbow Warrior II Runs Aground on a Reef

In 2005, Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior II was on assignment examining Tubbataha Reef Marine Park reef in the Philippines for signs of bleaching due to global warming. During the exercise, the Rainbow Warrior II accidentally ran aground on the reef itself, damaging corals in the process. Greenpeace was fined almost $7,000 for damaging the reef it was seeking to protect. More from a BBC News article:

Park officials said almost 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) of reef had been damaged. Greenpeace agreed to pay the fine, but blamed the accident on outdated maps provided by the Philippines government. "The chart indicated we were a mile and a half" from the coral reef when the ship ran aground, regional Greenpeace official Red Constantino told AFP news agency. "This accident could have been avoided if the chart was accurate," he said, adding, however, that Greenpeace felt "responsible" for the damage.