SHARING OUR GRATITUDE
Dear Green Guardian,
As I reflect on the past year, I’m filled with gratitude for your unwavering support. Your commitment to protecting our planet has powered our progress and victories in 2024. This Gratitude Report is just a sample of the incredible impact we’ve achieved together.
One of my highlights of this year was welcoming an international delegation of Greenpeace campaigners to Ottawa to speak out at the UN’s Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. As well as pushing for global limits on plastic production, we also joined Ecojustice in court to keep the plastic ban alive here in Canada. We continued to push for ambitious climate action, exposed the greenwashing practices of major oil companies, and pushed the government to strengthen its newly proposed Nature Accountability Act.
Globally, we continue to campaign against deep sea mining and advocate for the protection of fragile marine ecosystems, and the livelihoods of the coastal communities who depend on them. We also worked alongside communities that are facing some of the worst impacts of climate change, supporting their efforts to build resilience and demand accountability from those responsible for environmental degradation.
Of course, one of the pivotal moments of 2024 for me was the conclusion of logging giant Resolute Forest Products’ decade-long lawsuit against Greenpeace Canada. This baseless legal attack was an attempt to drain our resources and silence us from speaking out against the company’s unsustainable logging practices. But with you by our side, we did not back down. Thanks to your support, we have continued to investigate and expose their new owner, Paper Excellence, and even gave testimony before a House of Commons Committee about their takeover of Canadian forests. The conclusion of this case should be a signal to other industries that Greenpeace will not be silenced.
We’re deeply grateful for your continued support and trust in our work. This Gratitude Report is a celebration of what we have accomplished together, with special thanks to you for all you contribute to our movement.
Thank you.
CHRISTY FERGUSON Executive Director, Greenpeace Canada
A SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU
We’re so grateful to have you as a valued member of our Green Guardians community — a group of our most committed and generous supporters. Thank you for everything you do to protect our planet. As a token of our appreciation, we would like to offer you a complimentary 2025 Greenpeace wall calendar! If you would like to receive one, please email us at supporter.ca@greenpeace.org or give us a call, at 1-800-320-7183 (toll-free).
With appreciation,
Sana Fazal Support Care Officer
How Your Support Helped Greenpeace Resist Corporate Intimidation JUSTICE PREVAILS
This year, a dark cloud lifted from over Greenpeace Canada. And it was all made possible because of your support.
For over a decade, logging company Resolute Forest Products attempted to sue Greenpeace Canada for $7 million for speaking out against the company’s unsustainable logging practices. This lawsuit was what’s called a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) — a baseless legal attack designed to intimidate and limit Greenpeace’s advocacy, as well as drain our financial resources.
Greenpeace, however, never backed down: for the last 11 years, we’ve remained steadfast in the face of this attack, for our forests, our colleagues and for supporters like you. The case was resolved in April 2024 and the fact that this lawsuit is now over is significant for many reasons — but most importantly, it should be a signal to other big industries that we won’t be silenced.
Despite this, the Greenpeace network is facing a wave of SLAPPs globally. Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International are being sued for $300 million US by Energy Transfer (ET), the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, which was the target of the 2016 Standing Rock protests.
The Indigenous-led #noDAPL movement highlighted the threats the pipeline posed to Indigenous sovereignty and water rights, and inspired a global wave of resistance. ET’s lawsuit attempts to rewrite the history of the Indigenous-led opposition movement at Standing Rock by alleging that Greenpeace orchestrated the entire resistance. This could have a chilling effect
on organizations and people engaged in peaceful protest and assembly.
ET’s lawsuit is yet another attempt by a major corporation to use legal intimidation to stifle opposition, in an attempt to uphold the fossil fuel industry’s power and position amid growing public opposition. And in many ways, lawsuits like these are a sign of desperation, and that we’re winning.
We will not allow attacks like this one to stop us from advocating for a just, green and peaceful future. On the contrary, we will ensure they have the opposite effect, increasing the support for organizations like Greenpeace and strengthening the broader movement for justice.
Supporters like you make that possible, with your ongoing financial support and solidarity. Thank you for allowing us to remain independent and speak truth to power.
During a Global Week of Action, Greenpeace activists in Taipei, Taiwan joined — along with others around the world, including in Sweden, Spain, the UK, France, Germany and Indonesia — demonstrated strength and resistance against SLAPPs, with banners stating: “We will not be silenced.”
© Yves Chiu / Greenpeace
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2024
In January, eight citizens from Bonaire — a Dutch-Caribbean island — joined Greenpeace Netherlands in a press conference to announce they’re suing the Dutch State for human rights violations due to insufficient climate action. The lawsuit demands that the Netherlands reduce carbon emissions to limit warming below 1.5 C, and establish solid plans, developed with the communities on the island, to protect Bonaire’s residents from the impacts of the climate crisis to ensure they can continue to live there.
In February, Greenpeace Canada activists inflated a 20-foot tall northern spotted owl outside Prime Minister Trudeau’s official residence near Rideau Hall, in Ottawa, to urge the government to pass a new nature law this year. The northern spotted owl is in critical decline due to habitat loss and symbolizes the broader nature crisis in Canada. Public support for a new nature law is strong, with over 87,000 Canadians signing a Greenpeace petition to urge the government to ramp up nature protections and respect Indigenous sovereignty.
Winter Spring
t In April, environmental groups from around the world mobilized at the fourth round of UN negotiations for a Global Plastic Treaty in Ottawa, Canada. Greenpeace Canada activists delivered a 20-foot “Global Plastics Factory” to the doorstep of the Shaw Center, where the talks took place. Greenpeace’s delegation of over 20 international campaigners were official observers at the talks, holding press conferences and meeting with delegates inside the conference centre to urge for cuts to plastic production.
In June, Greenpeace’s ship Rainbow Warrior visited Thailand as part of the Ocean Justice project and invited local residents to visit and tour the ship. The project aims to work with local communities and civil society groups to establish community-led marine protected areas that will allow people to thrive while ensuring that marine biodiversity remains safe and protected.
Community mobiliser, Meralney Bomba welcomed the Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise to Bonaire, in 2023.
Greenpeace Canada activists gather around the 20-foot tall northern spotted owl in front of Prime Minister Trudeau’s official residence in Ottawa.
Greenpeace Canada activists brought a 20-foot “Global Plastics Factory” to the doorstep of the Shaw Center, where the INC4 Global Plastics Treaty negotiations took place, in Ottawa, in 2024.
People visited the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, during an open boat activity at Suan Kong beach in Thailand in 2024.
© Wason Wanichakorn/ Greenpeace
© Toma Iczkovits / Greenpeace
© Greenpeace © Roëlton Thodé / Greenpeace
Summer
Fall
During a July heat wave in Montréal, Greenpeace Canada staff and volunteers served free vegan ice cream to highlight the fossil fuel industry’s role in climate change and demand contributions to a Climate Recovery Fund. Nearly all Canadian provinces and one territory were under extreme heat warnings, while cities like Toronto faced severe storms and flooding. Greenpeace is calling for the Canadian government to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damages, and used these heat waves to discuss the link between fossil fuels and extreme weather with the public.
Greenpeace activists offered free vegan ice cream to the public to spark conversations about the fossil fuel industry’s role in the climate crisis, in Montréal, 2024.
In August, Greenpeace’s Forest Fire Prevention Team conducted training with volunteers in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Every year, a thick haze descends on Indonesia and its neighbours, caused by the systematic and illegal clearing of tropical forests and peatlands for industrial palm oil and pulp plantations. Made up of volunteers from various regions, the Fire Prevention Team works together with communities in affected areas to map, monitor hotspots, and introduce fire prevention techniques.
In August and September, Greenpeace’s ship, the Rainbow Warrior, conducted a five-week expedition in the North Pacific, documenting destructive fishing practices around the Emperor Seamounts — a biological hotspot — and exposing labour conditions on Taiwanese longlining vessels. We monitored nine fishing vessels, recording 84 sharks caught in fishing nets within just 25 hours. Migrant fishers on boats like these often endure harsh working conditions and forced labour, and Greenpeace provided support to them in the form of supplies and Wi-Fi to contact their families.
On a research trip to Accra in October, a team from Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace Germany used infrared scanners to examine discarded clothing at landfill sites and identify the various fibres. The result: 89% of the clothing contains synthetic fibres made from fossil fuels — which decompose into microplastics. 120,000 tonnes of second-hand clothing from Asia, North America and Europe end up in Ghana every year. More than half of the clothing is inferior and disposable with no resale value — and much of it is made of plastic.
The Greenpeace Forest Fire Prevention team participated in forest fire training in South Sumatra, Indonesia in 2024.
Greenpeace crew onboard the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior in the North Pacific Ocean, displayed a banner reading “FREE WIFI”. The Wi-Fi was offered to fishers onboard longline fishing vessels.
A Greenpeace activist holds a banner on the coast of Jamestown, in the town of Accra, Ghana, where textile waste is washed into the sea, in 2023.
© Kevin McElvaney / Greenpeace
© Myrthe Verweij / Greenpeace
© Martha / Greenpeace
© Greenpeace
Greenpeace Canada is also grateful for the support we’ve received this year from the Greenpeace Canada Education Fund (GCEF) and to the generous donors, researchers, implementation partners and boardmembers who make GCEF’s work possible.
Launched in 2020, GCEF remains committed to deepening public understanding of environmental, climate, and energy issues through education and impactful research that pushes for transformative change in Canada and beyond.
GCEF spearheaded several investigative projects that have had a significant impact on environmental awareness and accountability:
Fossil Fuel Industry Influence:
Research funded by GCEF highlighted the powerful influence of fossil fuel companies in Canada and exposed how banks contribute to climate change by financing the fossil fuel industry.
Environmental Education Gaps Assessment:
GCEF commissioned a comprehensive assessment to explore the gaps in environmental education for both students and teachers. This research will inform future initiatives aimed at addressing these gaps and strengthening climate literacy in Canada.
Canadian Law Firm Climate Impact Report:
The first of its kind, this GCEF-funded report revealed the legal industry’s role in driving the climate crisis and highlighted opportunities for positive change. The findings garnered attention from law firms, clients, and law students across Canada.
Victory Against Greenwashing:
Thanks to the dedicated support of GCEF and its allies, we achieved a major victory this year when the federal government passed Bill C-59, strengthening antigreenwashing legislation. Under the new amendments, companies must now substantiate their environmental claims, ensuring greater accountability. This resulted in significant changes, including the Pathways Alliance (Canada’s largest oil lobby group) scrubbing its website and social media of unverified environmental claims in response to the new regulations.
Daniel Müller / Greenpeace
THANK YOU’S FROM THE TEAM AT GREENPEACE
“Thank you, for your motivation, your ongoing commitment to protection of this beautiful planet and for your trust in our work to bring threats like these out of the darkness and into the light. Campaigns need evidence in order to be impactful and drive change, and your support is instrumental in enabling us to gather that evidence.”
“People often ask me if they should be optimistic about the future and I say I don’t want them to be optimistic, I want them to be hopeful. Optimism is the belief that everything will be OK and that’s not where we are headed right now, but hope is the belief that what we do matters. Hope calls for action. Hope is what Greenpeace is about.”
“We truly cannot do the work that we do without your support. Plain and simple. Greenpeace is unique for not taking any funding from governments or corporations, relying almost entirely on people power and the support of individuals who believe in our efforts to secure a green and peaceful future for all. With this model, we have more independence and flexibility to speak truth to power, without limiting or censoring our campaign messaging and tactics. Our community of donors represents the uniqueness of Greenpeace, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Greenpeace supporters are the foundation of what we do. Without dedicated supporters lending their voice, their time and their donations, we wouldn’t be able to push the boundaries of what’s possible for our future or hold corporations and governments accountable.”
A SPECIAL NOTE OF GRATITUDE
June 2024 marked the end of an era at Greenpeace Canada, as we bid farewell to our wonderful colleague Mona Coulavin and congratulated Mona on her retirement.
Mona joined Greenpeace Canada in 1990. The Toronto office at the time, in Mona’s words, “was this tiny space above a pizza takeaway with a rabbit’s warren of people filled with energy, anger, purpose, and hope.” Over the next 34 years, Mona served in a number of capacities, including Donor Services Manager and Head of Data and Analytics, roles that she performed with immense commitment and care. Along the way Mona participated in dozens of Greenpeace actions and protests, acted as a manager and mentor to many staff, corresponded and spoke with thousands of supporters, and made Greenpeace Canada a better place by virtue of her kind and compassionate nature.
“The strength of Greenpeace is its people,” says Mona. “Those doing the brave stuff, but also those who keep things running and those who so believe in the work they’re willing to donate their time and money.” For more than three decades, Mona has been one of those people. Thank you Mona, on behalf of our supporters and staff, past and present, for making us stronger.
Keith Stewart Senior Energy Strategist
Sarah King Senior Strategist - Oceans, Plastics & Biodiversity
Farrah Khan Program Lead - Nature and Biodiversity
Paul Johnson Head of Greenpeace Science Unit
BECAUSE OF YOU
Caring individuals, dedicated to protecting our planet and others, have always been at the heart of Greenpeace. Each generous gift, each person at each rally, each signature on a petition builds momentum, and is moving us one step closer to a better and greener world for all.
Our work is only possible because of you, and you are not alone. You are a part of an incredibly generous group, from all walks of life, that spans the globe. Your support not only powers Greenpeace Canada’s work, but also contributes to other global campaigns, making you a valuable member of Greenpeace work worldwide. We understand the pressures of the current world and know that time and money are valuable assets, which is why we are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for investing in us, our campaigns, and the planet.
Ellen Sprenger is one such supporter who has generously supported Greenpeace and has committed to making a gift in her Will.
“I feel I have known Greenpeace my whole life. I love their creativity, courage and focus on a clean, just and renewable planet and future. In addition to the actions we see in the media, they also engage and work with corporations, governments and other civil society organizations to build a strong base for real transformation. They are a smart and effective force for change. Putting Greenpeace in my Will is my gift to future generations who will inhabit this planet. I am proud to stand with Greenpeace.”
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THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREEN GUARDIAN
Green Guardians are an international community of Greenpeace supporters who have gone above and beyond to ensure the planet is protected.
Thank you for being one of them! We couldn’t do it without you.
Ellen Sprenger Green Guardian