Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

The Lebanese Greenpeace office mapped environmental violations in order to educate the Lebanese population about the toxic industrial waste problem along the entire coast of the country. In order to reach the most people possible, the tactic targeted the Lebanese coastline where more than fifty percent of the people reside, and where more than ninety percent of the population is using the beaches during the summer.

The Lebanese Greenpeace office mapped environmental violations in order to educate the Lebanese population about the toxic industrial waste problem along the entire coast of the country. In order to reach the most people possible, the tactic targeted the Lebanese coastline where more than fifty percent of the people reside, and where more than ninety percent of the population is using the beaches during the summer. The tactic utilized an actual map of Lebanon to allow the public to follow the progress of the Greenpeace inflatable boat throughout the process of testing and documenting, on a week-by-week basis, the coastal area for toxic wastes. This progress was also covered extensively by the media and provided interest and suspense regarding the results.  

They went to a new site each week, and chose the most important violation in that particular area to highlight.  In order to conduct the actual mapping, the Greenpeace staff took their inflatable boat to all the locations in order to test the sites.  This required a logistical support team, and a land support team that followed the boat in case of any emergencies. The group already had the necessary testing equipment, and partnered with another organization for the Geographical Information System (GIS) software to produce the map.  

Other tactics played important parts for the campaign to succeed as a whole. For example, they conducted lobbying with the various stakeholders such as politicians, government agencies and the resorts and beaches to let them know the water can be tested for them. Greenpeace had someone assigned solely to the media to ensure that the correct information was provided at the right time to continue the media and public interest. Approaches included an animated television spot that illustrated the long-term effects of pollutants, radio, fact sheets, and a mobile stand with huge posters.  In addition, Greenpeace developed their website map and updated it as they gathered information and violations.

The mapping tactic provided a concrete visual for raising awareness, highlighting the coastal environmental violations and providing scientific monitoring and mapping of the environmental violations to the public and government.  Public awareness and mobilization ensured the passage of Law #44, a code on the environment which included free access to information.