Greenpeace U.S.A.: Something Old,New,Borrowed

Abstract

Greenpeace U.S.A. is unique among environmental organizations in the United States. While it is one of the wealthiest and largest membership groups in the environmental movement, its organization and political strategies are quite different from those employed by the more mainstream groups such as the Sierra Club or the National Wildlife Federation. Its status as a new social movement is evaluated on four dimensions: ideology, motivations to participate, organizational structure, and political structure. Greenpeace U.S.A. exhibits characteristics of both new and old social movements and is thus classified as an organizational hybrid. Today, the organization struggles with several challenges. In two decades, it has grown to become part of the largest worldwide environmental network. Greenpeace U.S.A. must decide on the proper mix of old and new methods to continue its mission into the next century.

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