The sunlight was blinding as we walked up to a busy cafe near the beach of Santa Monica, Calif. The cafe was in a rush, and the clamor began outside on the patio.
We ordered food and settled down into the black, wire table, soaking up the sun before the clouds stole away the satisfying rays. But the vivid sunshine and the tantalizing smell of food weren’t the only things grabbing my attention.
I studied a young woman with hazelnut brown hair standing on the sidewalk bordering the cafe. With a canvas in hand and a voice that could draw in a crowd, she stood on the sidewalk advocating for Greenpeace. She spurted friendly greetings and exclaimed humanitarian and environmental issues to everyone who passed.
Sadly, few returned her enthusiasm. Instead many rushed by pretending not to hear her; others politely refused while the bold uttered rude remarks to her under their breath. Yet the rejection didn’t appear to chisel away her fervent attitude.
Like the brunette in Santa Monica, these canvassers are not foreign to anyone who has spent time around the University campus during fall or spring terms. They pursue us, ask us questions and chant friendly greetings to us even when our eyes are adverted and our headphones are on.
They are the lionesses, and we are the innocent gazelles.
Yet a major reason many University students are drawn away from the Greenpeace canvassers is because they ask us for money. Because of this, Liam Doherty-Nicholson, the senior city coordinator for Greenpeace, has gotten used to rejection in all its various forms.
Doherty-Nicholson is a Massachusetts native who moved to Portland three and a half years ago. After canvassing for another organization, Doherty-Nicholson was drawn to Greenpeace because it is an independent organization, meaning it accepts no government funds or corporate donations. Greenpeace’s mission statement is consistent to its name. It works to promote peace and green resolutions to global environmental problems. I was ashamed that I didn’t even know much about the organization despite the fact I had seen canvassers plotted throughout campus various times since I started at the University.
So, why college students? College students are synonymous with the words “broke” and “busy.” So, to many, it seems odd that Greenpeace would highlight college campuses despite the obvious stereotypes of college students. This is what typically leads to the rejection of the canvassers like Doherty-Nicholson.
Yet canvassers like Doherty-Nicholson aren’t looking for students to explain their financial situations. If Greenpeace truly was all about their campaign contributions, they would stick to primarily soliciting the wealthy. Yet we continue to see them going door-to-door or positioned out on college campuses.
College students are the next generation to enter the workforce. We have the ability to change the current system if we chose to do so. As Doherty-Nicholson said, “social change comes from thousands of the poor and broke, not one rich person.” So there is a vital reason why Greenpeace canvassers continue to seek out college students. It isn’t necessarily the money; it is because we have the ability to take action.
But if you do choose to contribute, the money goes beyond the donation. 84 percent of the donation goes to Greenpeace’s campaigns; 1 percent goes to Greenpeace’s management and 15 percent goes to development and to funding the opportunity for Greenpeace canvassers to speak with people about their campaigns. Of course, these aren’t hidden facts I spent endless hours researching on the Greenpeace’s website. If one asked a canvasser, he or she would relay these same statistics. Nowadays, we seem to like to know exactly where our money is going.
The donation isn’t really the important thing to the canvassers. It is the conversation and the swapping of perspectives. It is the reason Doherty-Nicholson continues to do what he is doing.
“I want to make that change with people and give them that empowering conversation each and every time,” Doherty-Nicholson said.
Although he may not win victories with every person who crosses his path, he does experience moments of triumph with other individuals. He then sees the success of Greenpeace in the huge campaigns Greenpeace wins. It is hard work, but Doherty-Nicholson doesn’t let the rejection dishearten him.
“It starts with changing the minds of campus to the corporation to the industry,” Doherty-Nicholson said.
So maybe next time you see one of these Greenpeace canvassers, you’ll take out the headphones and give them a moment of your time. Even if you don’t end up donating, you may engage in a conversation you never expected.
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