EVERGREEN
A newsletter dedicated to our
Green Guardians
October 2025
Special Edition: 40th Anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
The past that shaped us, the future we fight for
Forty years ago — the year I was born — a shocking act of violence sent ripples across the world. In a cowardly attempt to silence peaceful protest, my own birth country, France, planted explosives on the Rainbow Warrior as she lay docked in Auckland Harbour.
The Rainbow Warrior was there to shine a light on France’s nuclear testing in the Pacific and to support the relocation of civilians in the Marshall Islands suffering the brutal legacy of radiation fallout. The attack killed our photographer, Fernando Pereira. It was meant to intimidate us, but instead it ignited a global wave of solidarity and resistance.
Out of tragedy, we rose. Out of tragedy came the voices of millions. And out of the ashes came the Rainbow Warrior II — and eventually III — built not by governments, but by people. By you. Funded entirely by everyday supporters who refused to accept a world ruled by destruction and secrecy.
This wasn’t just a ship. It was a declaration.
Many people know the story of the bombing. What is less known is what the Rainbow Warrior had been doing just weeks before.
Fernando Pereira was on board, helping evacuate families from Rongelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands, affected by radioactive fallout from the Bravo bomb, a thousand times more powerful than Hiroshima. For decades, communities were displaced, poisoned, and treated like guinea pigs in the name of nuclear “defence.”
Greenpeace stood with them. We helped evacuate the people of Rongelap to safety in 1985. And this year, forty years later, we returned to the Marshalls. We met with survivors and descendants who had lost homes, health, and loved ones, yet who still carry incredible courage.
Their stories remind us why we fight. They remind us that Earth needs champions.
And that is where you come in.
Because it is your trust and support that keeps our legacy alive. Your passion carries forward the unbreakable spirit of the Rainbow Warrior: standing up and fighting for what matters even in the face of overwhelming odds.
I also wanted to share this sadder news with you. This past year, we honoured thirty Green Guardians who sadly passed away, leaving Greenpeace a gift in their will. Their legacy will live on in every campaign, every victory, every act of resistance that we will take collectively. Their names are now part of Burrapur — the whale sculpture in the Rainbow Warrior House kitchen. It is our way of remembering them and thanking them for continuing the fight, even in their passing.
To me, this is what legacy means: safeguarding what is precious, taking the courage of the past, and turning it into hope for the future.
Because the threats we face today are grave. Between deep-sea mining, deforestation, giant fossil fuels corporations, over-fishing and the rest, our collective courage is not only the best response, it is the only response.
That is why I still feel hopeful. Because of you. Because you believe this planet deserves better. From our oceans to our deserts, from air to water, from animals to the tiniest plants — it is all connected. And because of you, Greenpeace can continue to defend it.
Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your passion. Thank you for your generosity.
We hope this newsletter inspires you as we reflect on the past that shaped us and celebrate the victories that you have made possible.
Alexis Escavy
Key Relationship Manager - Gifts in Wills
Our shared history
50 years of campaigning for a world free from war and nuclear weapons
Greenpeace was founded in 1971 by a group of brave activists opposing a US nuclear weapons test on Amchitka Island, Alaska.
Since then, Greenpeace has become a global leader in campaigns against the dumping of nuclear waste into our planet’s oceans, documenting these environmental crimes for the world to see.
The ocean remembers
It remembers the songs of ancestors, the silence of exile, the courage of resistance—and the promise that one day, those who stood in solidarity would return.
This year, the Rainbow Warrior sailed back to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, forty years after answering a call for help from the people of Rongelap, a community displaced by the fallout of U.S. nuclear testing. In 1985, when their pleas for relocation were ignored by those whose job it was to help, they turned to Greenpeace. The Rainbow Warrior carried them to safety.
A win for Australian forests
Coles commits to going deforestation-free
After a year-long campaign to take deforestation off the shelves of our supermarkets, Coles is the final major Australian supermarket to commit to going deforestation-free.
Beef is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation, and Coles is one of the largest buyers of beef in Australia. With all 3 major supermarkets now committed to removing deforestation from their supply chains, we will see a huge shift in the deforestation and land management practices of the Australian beef industry.
Protect the oceans
Lord Howe Rise & South Tasman Sea ship tour
In the high seas around Australia and Aotearoa, Greenpeace Australia Pacific disrupted a massive industrial longlining operation. Over the course of several hours, our team confiscated almost 20 kilometres of deadly longline fishing gear out of the water, freeing nine sharks, including an endangered longfin mako.
Less than 3 percent of the ocean is under protection. Our global ocean mission is to protect 30% of the Earth’s oceans by 2030. We are putting pressure on Australian Environment Minister Murray Watt to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty like he has promised.
It’s estimated that up to 80% of deep-sea species are bioluminescent. And many of them remain undiscovered.
For most of human history, the deep sea was a mystery. Far beneath the surface of the ocean, where sunlight can’t reach, some of the most extraordinary creatures on Earth produce their own light, known as bioluminescence. Thanks to new deep-sea exploration technology, we’re now seeing more of this glowing world than ever before. Here are just a few of its most fascinating residents:
The Strawberry Squid
With its vivid reddish skin and scattered glowing spots, this deep-sea squid looks uncannily like a floating strawberry. But its most remarkable feature? It has two different-sized eyes—one large, one small. The large, upward-facing eye helps spot shadows above, while the smaller, downward-facing eye scans for prey below.
The Velvet Belly Lantern Shark
Small and sleek, this deep-sea shark produces light from its belly using specialised organs called photophores. This helps it hide from predators below by blending in with the faint light from the surface—a technique called counter-illumination.
The Flashlight Fish
This curious little fish carries glowing bacteria under its eyes. With a clever built-in “shutter” system, it can turn its light on and off by covering the glow with a flap of skin. It uses the glow to hunt at night, signal to others, and perhaps even confuse predators.
The deep sea reminds us of a simple truth: Even in the darkest places, there is still wonder—and light.
Why Does This Matter?
These glowing creatures are part of an intricate ocean ecosystem that keeps our planet healthy. From regulating the climate to producing the oxygen we breathe, the deep sea plays a vital role in sustaining life on Earth. Yet it’s under increasing threat from pollution, overfishing, and emerging industries like deep sea mining.
My legacy with Greenpeace
“Greenpeace’s non-violent, persistent and courageous work has always made me admire the organisation. You give our poor battered planet a voice. That is why Greenpeace is the first on the list of my Will. I want to leave something behind for what is most important to me, the planet.”
— Maxine Godley, Green Guardian Champion
Become a Green Guardian and create a legacy for a healthy future.
1 in 5 of our campaigns are funded by gifts in Wills.
For more information on how to become a Green Guardian and create a legacy for a healthy future, contact Alexis on:
email: [email protected]
phone: 1800 815 151 or mobile: 0448 948 113