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Long Beach, CA – Greenpeace’s historic ship, the Arctic Sunrise, arrived in Long Beach today. The Arctic Sunrise is docked at Pine Avenue Pier in Rainbow Harbor and will be open to the public for free tours of the ship from 10am to 5pm on August 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th. There will be multiple events on board throughout the ship’s time in Long Beach. For the full schedule of public events visit greenpeace.org/usa/shiptour.
“Greenpeace and the Arctic Sunrise are visiting Southern California to strike a blow to corporate polluters, from the companies polluting our oceans with plastic to the fossil fuel giants causing global warming,” said Greenpeace Climate Campaigner Mary Sweeters. “Greenpeace is urging Governor Jerry Brown to phase out fossil fuels and related infrastructure in the state, and to move toward 100% renewable energy. During this Pacific ship tour, we are also working to identify and name the corporations responsible for the single-use plastics that are polluting our beaches and harming our oceans, waterways, and communities.”
After Long Beach, the Arctic Sunrise travels to San Francisco where the ship will host a series of activities and actions to escalate our message to Governor Brown as he prepares to convene his Global Climate Action Summit in September.
On Tuesday, August 14 from 7pm-9pm, reporters are invited to join Greenpeace, Californians Against Fracking, Our Children’s Trust, and SustainUS for We Resist: Stories From the Front Lines of Climate Change. Youth storytellers from California’s frontline communities will share their experiences of living with the devastating effects of climate change, and in the shadows of the fossil fuel industry. This is a unique opportunity to hear the first-hand stories of the toll that fossil fuels have on California’s own, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. For more information about the storytellers or to RSVP, contact Kate Fried, [email protected] or (202) 257.0057.
On Wednesday, August 15 from 9am-12pm, reporters are invited to a press open house on board the Arctic Sunrise to talk with Greenpeace, 5 Gyres Institute, and Surfrider Foundation about the plastic pollution crisis and local efforts to tackle plastic pollution. Reporters can receive private tours of the ship and conduct interviews about our new Carting Away the Oceans report, which ranks retailers on seafood sustainability, combating labor abuse at sea, and efforts to tackle plastic pollution. Those interested should RSVP for a specific time slot with Perry Wheeler at [email protected] or 301-675-8766. Reporters are also invited to join Greenpeace at its beach clean up and brand audit event at Cherry Beach on Saturday August, 11th from 9am to 12pm.
Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise has a rich history. The Russian government seized the ship and the 30 peaceful activists on board in 2013 when Greenpeace protested Arctic oil drilling by the Russian company Gazprom. The Arctic Sunrise was also the first ship to circumnavigate James Ross Island in the Antarctic. It has worked to stop Japanese whaling fleets’ attempts to pursue their so-called scientific whaling program, chased private vessels fishing illegally, navigated both the Congo and the Amazon, and performed independent assessment of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Most recently the Arctic Sunrise spent January and February doing research in Antarctica to build the case for establishing the world’s largest marine sanctuary in the Southern Ocean.
