In the continuing spirit of Volunteer Appreciation Week, I wanted to share some words of gratitude and encouragement.

To every Greenpeace volunteer reading this: THANK YOU

Your passion, your commitment, and your willingness to show up again and again for each other, and for our planet, are the reasons our beautiful movement continues to grow generation after generation.

Volunteers are at the heart of Greenpeace, and I have so much gratitude. 
Not just for your time, but for your belief that a better world is possible, and for your refusal to accept a world that is being pushed to the brink. 
This keeps me grounded and motivated in my work.

The regular hangouts over pizza, the long strategizing sessions, the art builds, actions, skill-shares, protests, endless petition signing and government lobbying — it all matters deeply. Even when, in the moment, it can feel redundant or sometimes pointless, it does matter.

We rely on you because you bring something beautiful.
You help us create space where people feel empowered instead of overwhelmed. You bring unity in a time of division. You bring care in a time of exploitation. You bring creativity in a time that tries to restrict imagination.
And this brings me so much hope.

We all know that positive change can take time, usually more time than it should, and that can feel demoralizing. The frustration is real. But activism teaches resilience at its core, so we keep at it, sharing what we learn, and nurtured by the wins. Slowly and surely, the systems we resist begin to crack or change for the better, and we get a little more time to breathe and regroup.

Movements don’t emerge in isolation—they grow from and strengthen one another over time, and inspire our tactics future-forward. The history of non-violent resistance and protests does prove effective time and time again, from India’s Salt March of the 1930’s to the Civil Rights Movement, to the countless wins by the Climate Justice Movement around the world over the last 20 years.

We have also learned that creativity only levels things up.  From the Revolution of the Dwarves of Poland in the 1980s, Reclaim the Streets in the 90s, to the Portland Frogs of today,  fun and celebration in activism breeds hope and joy and helps to de-escalate. If we embody the world we want –see it, feel it, experience it – this energy will surely carry us forward. 

Above all,  our unity has been our superpower through time. 
Community is not optional – it’s how we endure. It’s how we grow. It’s how we push back against systems that depend on individualism and burnout. When war and extractivism continue to shape so much of our world, it is relationships that keep us grounded and moving forward.

As someone who has put what feels like a lifetime into organizing, there are a few things which have remained constant in this work that I‘m confident in sharing with new organizers coming into the fold.

We must be relentless yet united with others to persevere, and we must work together, across movements, with cohesion, creativity, care and joy. But nothing matters more than trust – without it, we will corrode.  And while trust moves slowly in activist circles,  it’s so important to allow space for trust to develop.

Right now, this matters more than ever.

We are living through a moment of sharpening divides, where fear and misinformation are weaponized, and systems of extraction keep taking — more land, more resources, more futures — while a small, powerful few reap the rewards. As authoritarianism rises and the planet continues to bear the strain,  this is exactly when creative, nonviolent direct action matters most. If our actions continue to be rooted in truth, compassion, and in partnership with those most impacted and marginalized, we’ve got a chance.

So let’s continue to move forward together. With urgency, yes, but also with care, compassion, and imagination. With all of us at the heart of it, I believe so much more is possible.  

Thank you for everything you are, and everything you continue to give.

With so much  gratitude,

Aspa Tzaras
Greenpeace Canada’s Actions and Organizing Unit Head