Dear Friends, It's the start of a new year, a new Administration and Congress, and a new beginning here at Greenpeace, too. John Passacantando introduced me to you before he stepped down as executive director of Greenpeace, and I wanted to write you early in the year to introduce myself and let you know about the role I'll be playing for Greenpeace. My name is Mike Clark, and I'm serving as interim executive director of Greenpeace USA. For many years, I volunteered as a member of the Greenpeace Board of Directors and had the honor of serving as the Board chair. I've been an activist since the days of the civil rights movement. If you were an activist then, you remember how hard we had to push to make change. As I think ahead to the New Year, I know we're going to need that kind of dedication and all of the determination we can muster to confront the environmental challenges ahead of us. For the first time in almost a decade, we have a president who wants to do something about global warming. Now is our time to act, to stand up and take action and make positive environmental changes for our future. We spent 2008 mobilizing activists around the country to pressure their elected representatives in Congress to act on climate change. Now in 2009, we'll make sure that members of Congress who promised to support real global warming legislation are held accountable to their commitments. If they fall back on their word, we'll hold their feet to the fire, no matter their political affiliation or how powerful or influential they might be. It's not enough for a politician to talk about global warming legislation -- we need action today! As we campaign to fight global warming, Greenpeace will continue the fight to: * Protect our endangered ancient forests -- the North American boreal forests continue to be threatened by clear-cut logging for paper giant Kimberly-Clark to use to make Kleenex and toilet paper. We'll continue to let the world know about these destructive practices and challenge them to become better stewards of our ancient forests. And as we campaign vigorously in North America, we will concentrate on the three important tropical forests: the Amazon, Indonesia's "Paradise Forest," and the Congo. * Defend the world's oceans -- we're actively promoting the designation of marine reserves in a region that encompasses 900,000 square miles of ocean with almost no areas protected from all fishing. Marine reserves will restore and maintain ocean biodiversity, enable a rapid and long-lasting increase in abundance of marine life and reduce the probability of extinction of species like whales, steller sea lions, and polar bears. * Eliminate toxic chemicals -- every year hundreds of thousands of electronics are discarded in landfills or exported to Asia where children and adults are exposed to a toxic cocktail of chemicals. Greenpeace will continue to pressure electronics companies to eliminate toxic chemicals from their products and to create strong take-back and recycling programs. As a Greenpeace supporter, you and I share a powerful belief that dedicated individuals acting together can protect the earth -- through peaceful action on the high seas, in the heart of ancient forests, in the corridors of power, and at the grassroots level. I look forward to working with you this year. For a green and peaceful future, Mike Clark Interim Executive Director Help Spread the Word! Please Grab The Code For This Bulletin
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