How many different kinds of whales are there? Which ones are endangered?
You can read all about whale species and the threats to them at the whales section.
Are whales fish?
Whales are mammals, just like human beings. You can read about why this is an important difference at the link below.
I'm a student writing a report about an environmental problem. Can you send me information?
We get many requests at http://www.greenpeace.org for help with generalschool reports about pollution and other environmental issues. We wishwe could help each of you individually, but we try to keep our stafffocussed on the tasks that people donate to Greenpeace for: to wincampaigns for the environment.
I hope the following sources of information can point you in the right direction for help with your project:
Click here for information about overfishing, whales, and threats to our ocean environment.
Click here for information about Climate Change and Greenpeace's campaign to phase out fossil fuels.
Click here for information about toxic chemicals and what you can do to help ban them.
For information about the nuclear threat, including Star Wars, click here.
Click herefor information about Genetically Modified Organisms, and why we shouldall be worried about this massive uncontrolled experiment on nature.
Click here for information about threats to the world's last remaining ancient forests.
And don't forget that you can search through all the information at the Greenpeace site by going to our search page.
I've just seen a stranded whale - what can I do?
Whale strandings often end sadly because of well-intentioned butuninformed help. Flippers can be easily damaged by trying to move awhale back into the water. Whales can suffocate if their blowholes areobstructed. A whale on dry land's biggest danger is overheating: keepthem cool and wet but DON'T obstruct the breathing through theirblowhole. Get a qualified marine biologist to the scene as soon aspossible. Call your nearest University or the Coast Guard for help.
Greenpeace does not run a stranded whale rescue programme. We applyour limited resources to stopping the greatest threats to all whales:commercial whaling and the thinly disguised pirate whaling by theJapanese and Norwegian fleets.
We wish we could help with every whalestranding, every case in which whales are in trouble anywhere in theworld, but of course with our tiny fleet of four ships and little morethan a thousand staff all over the world, we have to leave that job toother groups and other experts in local communities. Our role is tosave the most whales we can by challenging the whalers on the high seaswith our ships, to call the world's attention to the continuedsenseless killing, and to pressure the world's governments to createWhale Sanctuaries and better protection mechanisms throughinternational law. Please visit our oceans web site to learn what else you can do.
Where can I find tips on how to lead a greener life/ how to make a difference?
We are all part of the environment and what we do to the environment, we do to ourselves. Take a look at Greenpeace Canada's "Living Green"
There's an environmental polluter in my town: what can I do about it?
In all but a few exceptional cases, Greenpeace works on a global scaleand does not address individual pollution sites one by one. Greenpeacehas limited resources and so chooses to focus on major threats toecosystems and species -- we simply don't have the ability to addressdestruction at all levels. For local issues, we have to count on peoplelike you who care and are willing to fight for what you believe. We cansend you our support and best wishes, and advice on creating acommunity campaign from our colleagues at Greenpeace Australia
We can encourage you to seek help and advice from our community of cyberactivists
many of whom fight local battles against polluters in communities like yours. And we can offer you advice on how to run a campaign from one of our former colleagues.
You can also search through the Greenpeace archive for information about the particular issue you're trying to solve.
Good luck: there's No Time to Waste.
I've just witnessed a horrible mistreatment of an animal. What can I do?
Greenpeace doesn't address animal rights issues at a local level. Wecampaign for habitat protection and to stop the greatest threats to thenatural world. You can contact the largest animal right's organisationin the world, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
You can also join our thousands of cyberactivists on line to discuss the environment and related issues by going to our cyberactivist centre.
Where can I find information for young people?
You are never too young to make a difference in protecting our planet,and you are never too old to have fun! Visit our games page.
Take a look at the animated story of whales and you can also dive with the whales!
Learn more about how you can help save the ancient forests at our Kids for Forests website.
If genetically engineered crops and harvests are open to windand insects which pollinate flowers or plants,how do we know that"organic" foods aren't accidentally contaminated by geneticallyengineered foods, because g.e pollen have been deposited there withoutthe distributor/grower knowing?
We don't. We can't. This is precisely one of the dangers of releasingGenetically engineered plants in the wild. In some countries, there arerestrictions on how closely genetically engineered crops have beenallowed to be planted to normal crops, but there's no conclusive proofthat these measures are effective. On the contrary, there's growingevidence that you simply can't segregate crops in the wild.
Cross-breeding isn't the only threat toorganic food presented by genetically engineered plants. A strain ofcorn has been created by Monsanto which produces its own pesticide.Unfortunately, the pesticide it produces is one of the only organicdeterrents to insect infestations, and one commonly used by organicfarmers. But as with antibiotics, the more prevelant a toxin the morelikely organisms are to build up a resistance, and Bt Maize, as it'sknown, is likely to end the effectiveness of one of the few naturalpesticides available to organic farmers.