Doesn't Look Good
Here's a funny story form The Telegraph which reports that a senior executive of Greenpeace regularly travels to work by plane.
I don't know what I'm more gobsmacked by - the Greenpeace double talk about why flying makes more sense or its patronising comments that cheap flights haven't created better access to air travel, but instead just allow people with more money to fly more often.
What an insufferable bunch of hypocrites.
Greenpeace executive flies 250 miles to work
Environmental group campaigns to curb growth in air travel but defends senior executive commuting 250 miles to work by plane
Greenpeace argues for curbs on "the growth in aviation" which it says "is ruining our chances of stopping dangerous climate change”. Photo: PA
By Emily Gosden - The Telegraph
One of Greenpeace’s most senior executives routinely commutes 250 miles to work by plane, despite the environmental group’s campaign to curb air travel, it has emerged.
Pascal Husting, Greenpeace International’s international programme director, flies between the organisation’s offices in Amsterdam and his home in Luxembourg several times each month, the Guardian reported.
Greenpeace argues for curbs on "the growth in aviation" which it says "is ruining our chances of stopping dangerous climate change”.
Each round-trip commute Mr Husting made would give him a "carbon footprint" of an estimated 142kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
One Greenpeace volunteer on Monday described Mr Husting's travel arrangements as "almost unbelievable" while another said they were cancelling their direct debit payment to support Greenpeace in light of a series of revelations about the organisation.
The head of Greenpeace in the UK on Monday denied that it had lost its integrity despite the disclosure and claims of organisational disarray and financial mismanagement at the campaign group.
Greenpeace was last week forced to apologise for a "serious error of judgment" after it emerged that it had lost £3m of public donations when a member of staff took part in unauthorised currency dealing.
Writing in a blog, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “As for Pascal’s air travel. Well it’s a really tough one. Was it the right decision to allow him to use air travel to try to balance his job with the needs of his family for a while?
“For me, it feels like it gets to the heart of a really big question. What kind of compromises do you make in your efforts to try to make the world a better place?
“I think there is a line there. Honesty and integrity to the values that are at the heart of the good you’re trying to do in the world cannot be allowed to slip away. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’ve crossed that line here at Greenpeace.”
But Richard Lancaster, who said he had been volunteering with Greenpeace since the 1980s, responded: "I volunteer with Greenpeace but work in the commercial world and if I took a job in another country I'd expect to move to where the job is and if I couldn't for family reasons I wouldn't take the job - so I find Pascal's travel arrangements almost unbelievable."
Another respondent to Mr Sauven's blog - which also addresses concerns over Greenpeace's management - wrote: "So disappointed. Hardly had 2 pennies to rub together but have supported GP [Greenpeace] for 35+ years. Cancelling dd [direct debit] for while."
Greenpeace campaigns to curb the growth in polluting air travel and end “needless” domestic flights. In a briefing on “the problem with aviation”, the group says: “In terms of damage to the climate, flying is 10 times worse than taking the train.”
Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace’s top executive director, said that while Mr Husting “wishes there was an express train between his home and his office… it would currently be a 12-hour round trip by train”.
He told the Guardian: “Pascal has a young family in Luxembourg. When he was offered the new role he couldn’t move his family to Amsterdam straight away. He’d be the first to say he hates the commute, hates having to fly, but right now he hasn’t got much of an option until he can move."
Greenpeace argues that it does not want to “stop people from flying” but does “want to prevent the number of flights from growing to dangerous levels".
It alleges that flying remains largely the preserve of the wealthy, citing a study showing “ cheap flights haven't created better access to air travel for the poor; they've just allowed people with more money to fly more often”.
Environmental group campaigns to curb growth in air travel but defends senior executive commuting 250 miles to work by plane
Greenpeace argues for curbs on "the growth in aviation" which it says "is ruining our chances of stopping dangerous climate change”. Photo: PA
By Emily Gosden - The Telegraph
One of Greenpeace’s most senior executives routinely commutes 250 miles to work by plane, despite the environmental group’s campaign to curb air travel, it has emerged.
Pascal Husting, Greenpeace International’s international programme director, flies between the organisation’s offices in Amsterdam and his home in Luxembourg several times each month, the Guardian reported.
Greenpeace argues for curbs on "the growth in aviation" which it says "is ruining our chances of stopping dangerous climate change”.
Each round-trip commute Mr Husting made would give him a "carbon footprint" of an estimated 142kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
One Greenpeace volunteer on Monday described Mr Husting's travel arrangements as "almost unbelievable" while another said they were cancelling their direct debit payment to support Greenpeace in light of a series of revelations about the organisation.
The head of Greenpeace in the UK on Monday denied that it had lost its integrity despite the disclosure and claims of organisational disarray and financial mismanagement at the campaign group.
Greenpeace was last week forced to apologise for a "serious error of judgment" after it emerged that it had lost £3m of public donations when a member of staff took part in unauthorised currency dealing.
Writing in a blog, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “As for Pascal’s air travel. Well it’s a really tough one. Was it the right decision to allow him to use air travel to try to balance his job with the needs of his family for a while?
“For me, it feels like it gets to the heart of a really big question. What kind of compromises do you make in your efforts to try to make the world a better place?
“I think there is a line there. Honesty and integrity to the values that are at the heart of the good you’re trying to do in the world cannot be allowed to slip away. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’ve crossed that line here at Greenpeace.”
But Richard Lancaster, who said he had been volunteering with Greenpeace since the 1980s, responded: "I volunteer with Greenpeace but work in the commercial world and if I took a job in another country I'd expect to move to where the job is and if I couldn't for family reasons I wouldn't take the job - so I find Pascal's travel arrangements almost unbelievable."
Another respondent to Mr Sauven's blog - which also addresses concerns over Greenpeace's management - wrote: "So disappointed. Hardly had 2 pennies to rub together but have supported GP [Greenpeace] for 35+ years. Cancelling dd [direct debit] for while."
Greenpeace campaigns to curb the growth in polluting air travel and end “needless” domestic flights. In a briefing on “the problem with aviation”, the group says: “In terms of damage to the climate, flying is 10 times worse than taking the train.”
Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace’s top executive director, said that while Mr Husting “wishes there was an express train between his home and his office… it would currently be a 12-hour round trip by train”.
He told the Guardian: “Pascal has a young family in Luxembourg. When he was offered the new role he couldn’t move his family to Amsterdam straight away. He’d be the first to say he hates the commute, hates having to fly, but right now he hasn’t got much of an option until he can move."
Greenpeace argues that it does not want to “stop people from flying” but does “want to prevent the number of flights from growing to dangerous levels".
It alleges that flying remains largely the preserve of the wealthy, citing a study showing “ cheap flights haven't created better access to air travel for the poor; they've just allowed people with more money to fly more often”.
