Last summer Greenpeace’s short film Don’t Stop, produced by Steve McQueen’s Lammas Park, was uncomfortable viewing as it was a provocative glimpse into our behavior and lack of action to the climate crisis we are facing.
Set to the organization’s collaborative cover of Fleetwood Mac’s song of the same name (performed by Future Utopia, Avelino, and Tomorrow’s Warriors), a tender female vocal drifts over a party scene in an opulent room imploring viewers to “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow…” while fat-cat guests gobble down canapés, quaff vast quantities of champagne, and (mostly) ignore the soulful jazz band on stage. Will Poulter plays one of the few people looking on from the sidelines, anxious and upset by the spiraling hedonism. And rightly so. Director Samona Olanipekun intentionally set out to create an allegorical snapshot of humanity blithely slipping into climate crisis.
Olanipekun came up with the concept of throwing a huge party that gets out hand and descends into chaos. In the film, we see a few guests waking up to the situation, like Poulter, while the rest carry on ignoring the oncoming devastation. Poulter’s small minority represents the activists, people who are devoting their lives to spreading the message that things need to change; behavior needs to change, we can’t keep on partying in the same way.
They realize that things are falling apart around us, but the majority are continuing to over-consume, depleting the planet’s resources in the process and not adapting how they live to avert a disastrous situation.
Areeba Hamid, executive director of Greenpeace U.K.“The central message of Don’t Stop was one that really resonated with us. It’s about dreaming of a better future, and hope is central to it.”
Rallying these changemakers is Greenpeace, the global activist network, campaigning for social and climate justice to sustain the planet for future generations. “The central message of Don’t Stop was one that really resonated with us. It’s about dreaming of a better future, and hope is central to it,” explains Areeba Hamid, executive director of Greenpeace U.K. “The track was released in the 1970s, the decade that saw the birth of an international environmental movement. Half a century later, we wanted to reimagine this anthem as a rallying cry for a new generation that’s facing the same anxieties about its future but an even bigger challenge.”
Also born in the 1970s was Glastonbury Festival, an enormous gathering of musicians, performers, and all-ages revelers on acres of rolling farmland in idyllic rural Somerset. Greenpeace is integral to the festival today and since 1991 has been hosting an entire field there. The Greenpeace Field—one of the festival’s boutique Green Fields—has been described by the festival organizers as “the heartbeat of Glastonbury” because of the incredible atmosphere that captures the ethical yet fun vibe of the festival. It’s a place that campaigns hard and raves even harder. “We love a party,” says Hamid. “And we love talking to people about our planet, so it doesn’t get better than Glastonbury Festival!”
“This film is a call to arms of how impactful we are when we unite in numbers to demand changes from these political criminals.”
Cora Corré
Previously Fatboy Slim, Jarvis Cocker, and Mel C have played secret DJ sets in the Greenpeace Field. This year the Spice Girl was back again to hang out under the towering 22-meter recycled plastic sculpture known as the “‘rave tree”—a central focus for the field. Fraser T Smith (known for his work with Stormzy, Drake, and Adele) came with Tomorrow’s Warriors, the House Gospel Choir, and rapper Avelino to launch Don’t Stop to a star-studded audience including Stormzy, Ben Whishaw, Billie Piper, Andrew Garfield, and model Cora Corré.
“Don’t Stop lays bare the leaders partying and playing with our lives as if there is no tomorrow,” Corré says. “It displays the world falling apart at the seams whilst the governments continue business as usual, turning a blind and ignorant eye.” Nonetheless, she sees the optimism in Don’t Stop’s message. “This film is a call to arms of how impactful we are when we unite in numbers to demand changes from these political criminals,” she says. “We can change our history by coming together and fighting for a greener future for our fellow human beings and life on our planet. Togetherness is fundamental.”
Major cultural moments like Glastonbury have been key in raising awareness and inciting activism for Greenpeace, and the organization has always had an inextricable link to music. “Greenpeace was born out of music,” explains Hamid. The story goes back to 1970, when a group of activists wanted to stop a nuclear test in Amchitka, Alaska. After deciding that they could create more impact by sailing to the site to try to stop the test, they set aside their placards. But they had no money and no boat, so they put on a benefit concert in Vancouver, with performances by legends including Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. The concert raised $18,000, which was enough money to buy a boat. “Music really enabled Greenpeace to begin as an organization,” says Hamid. “Without that concert, we wouldn’t exist.”
Areeba Hamid, executive director of Greenpeace U.K.“Music really enabled Greenpeace to begin as an organization. Without that concert, we wouldn’t exist.”
Fifty years on, Greenpeace continues to collaborate with musicians in endlessly creative and compelling ways. In 2018, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke wrote “Hands Off the Arctic” in support of the organization’s mission to protect the Antarctic ocean, accompanied by a stark video that used incredible footage of Antarctic landscapes from Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise research ship. An animation was projected onto London’s iconic Marble Arch for the launch. During the 2020 COVID lockdown, Greenpeace hosted an online festival featuring Arlo Parks. Next up… who knows? “We don’t have concrete plans for music collaborations lined up, but music and film are such a huge part of our lives and our campaigning that it won’t be long before something comes up,” promises Hamid. “Sometimes it’s a long-planned initiative like Don’t Stop, and sometimes something comes out of the blue, like an artist writing a song for us.”
“We know young people are sick and tired of a small number of greedy corporations and politicians putting today’s profit and short-term interest over the dreams of everyone’s tomorrow,” Hamid explains. “We want to support young people in reclaiming their future. We want to channel their anger and frustration into collective action. Action to stop fossil fuel giants from causing even more harm and to make them pay for the damage already done. Action to force our government to unleash the solutions and hold big polluters to account. Action to build a fairer, healthier, safer future for everyone.”
“I don’t think world leaders are doing enough.”
Fraser T Smith, Future Utopia.
Don’t Stop is just one of many Greenpeace campaigns around the world. In August 2023, activists covered British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s home in 200 square meters of oil-black fabric in response to the government’s plans to increase oil and gas drilling (Sunak was on holiday with his family in California at the time). “I don’t think world leaders are doing enough,” agrees Smith.
“I think the recent decision by our own prime minister to invest in new oil has shown that there is still a long, long way to go until the powers that be understand the climate emergency, and the world leaders of today need to understand that the future is a gift not a given.” In the future he’d like to see “a world where the 10 percent of companies who are responsible for 90 percent of our environmental issues take the responsibility to clean up their working practices and are completely transparent with us in terms of their emissions and therefore help us to work toward a sustainable future.”
Fortunately, we have collectives like Greenpeace, rallying alongside you and me and all the brave people who are willing to question the norm and set humanity on a more conscious path. Smith has a message of hope to young activists: “Keep going and be proud of your fight. Be proud of the struggle, as taking on the responsibility to help the future generations is something that is massively praiseworthy.” Greenpeace believes that our resolve to save the planet has never been stronger. “People all over the world are incredibly worried about their future, but they hold enormous power,” says Hamid. “This film is a message of hope—that demanding a better tomorrow is not only possible, but critical.”
Images courtesy of Greenpeace; main homepage Linda Spong and Glenn Jonathans making posters for a Greenpeace event., homepage activists approaching Shell Oil Platform in the Atlantic Ocean Photo Courtesy of Chris J Ratcliffe/Greenpeace. Above; Crew of the Phyliss Cormack on board the Greenpeace Voyage Documentation (Vancouver to Amchitka: 1971) Photo Courtesy of Robert Keziere/Greenpeace
