The end of the world looms large, but Katrina Cook has a more pressing concern. It\u2019s her first day on the job canvassing for Greenpeace and if she can\u2019t enlist three supporters in three days she\u2019ll be fired. She stands between the Claw fountain and the bookstore, clutching a thick binder filled with donation forms to her stomach, maintaining a steady stream of greetings and invitations as traffic flows past her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot a minute for the environment?\u201d \u201cHey wanna talk about the environment?\u201d \u201cHi, how are you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If Katrina gets someone to stop, she explains that she works for Greenpeace, though this will be obvious from the logo on her shirt. If the person stays long enough, she\u2019ll ask for his money, specifically in the form of a monthly contribution (minimum $15). It\u2019s her first day on the job, but Katrina has learned one thing well already: bicyclists never stop. Pedestrians are slower and therefore more susceptible, but they have excuses too.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m broke!\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll come back later!\u201d \u201cSorry!\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n Others simply ignore her.<\/p>\n Greenpeace was founded in 1971 and gained notoriety for its anti-whaling and anti-nuclear campaigns. Those issues still matter to the organization, whose cohort of non-Stanford affiliated canvassers stake out spots in White Plaza, but Greenpeace\u2019s mission has since broadened into what their Web site calls \u201ca fight to save the world.\u201d They now mainly lobby and raise awareness about climate change and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an expensive and hard fight \u2014 last year Greenpeace spent more than $26 million, four million of that in fundraising \u2014 but Katrina and Greenpeace\u2019s other 300 canvassers nationwide think it\u2019s a cause worth fighting for.<\/p>\n \u201cGot a minute for the environment?\u201d she asks an older man in a leather jacket. He goes over to her and listens with a polite expression as she talks about the clearing of Indonesian rainforests to make room for palm oil plantations. After about a minute he says he has to go and leaves before Katrina can open her pledge binder.<\/p>\n Another woman passes, dragging a rolling suitcase noisily across the pavement.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, wanna talk about the environment?\u201d Katrina says to her. The woman says she already donates and continues walking.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you love the environment?\u201d Katrina asks a group of three boys walking past.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the environment,\u201d says one, sarcastically, to his companions. Laughter.<\/p>\n More people pass. Bicyclists speed by. Pedestrians give Katrina a wide berth. Those who come near try to avoid eye contact, but Katrina is insistent.<\/p>\n \u201cGot a minute for the environment?\u201d she says to a girl in a plaid coat. Josh Sigal, the Greenpeace team leader, is at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Stanford bookstore. A girl in heels tries to pass him on her way into the bookstore.<\/p>\n \u201cI need a minute,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d she says, and keeps moving.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d he says, but she doesn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n Josh is a seven-month veteran of the organization. As team leader he coordinates goals and outreach strategies with the other team leaders from the San Jose office. He also goes out to raise money, supervising and providing tips and encouragement to novices like Katrina, who, at 3 p.m., has yet to receive a single contribution. The ranks of Greenpeace USA fail to swell.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a superstar,\u201d Josh says, giving her a high five.<\/p>\n Greenpeace claims more than three million members worldwide and their donations provide the bulk of the organization\u2019s income. In 2008, according to their annual report, supporters donated more than $20 million, almost 80 percent of Greenpeace Inc.\u2019s revenue. The report doesn\u2019t say how many of those dollars are monthly contributions pledged to street canvassers like Katrina and how many are one-time donations. But street canvassers must rack up substantial donations because they are a common, if somewhat unpopular staple of many public places.<\/p>\n A girl in a Stanford sweatshirt walks quickly away from Josh toward her friend. The pair deems the canvassers \u201cshady.\u201d A boy sitting atop a concrete bench says he\u2019d never donate because he doesn\u2019t want to encourage a world where canvassers harass you and ask for money.<\/p>\n Over by the fountain, one student remarks to his companion that the canvassers are no better than panhandlers. He feels \u201ca special resentment born of a poorly formed approach to a subject close to [his] heart\u201d toward the canvassers. He understands climate change is dire, but doesn\u2019t like strangers asking him to do something about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s impersonal,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ve gotta be learning it from people you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh says that on an average day he will try to stop three to four hundred people. Only a tenth of those people will stop at all, and only maybe a tenth of that number will end up donating. On the best day of Josh\u2019s career, he received nine donations. It is no exaggeration to say that the predominant experience of canvassing is flat-out rejection.<\/p>\n Josh tries to get the attention of a boy, but the boy passes without responding or changing his expression. Josh looks a little stunned.<\/p>\n \u201cI see you,\u201d says Carissa, the third teammate, slapping Josh a high-five.<\/p>\n Carissa is having a good day. She\u2019s gotten four donations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the sweet spot,\u201d she says, describing her location.<\/p>\n Carissa is about the same age as Katrina, but she has four weeks of canvassing under her belt. Sometimes, she says, she can see someone and just know that they\u2019re going to give money. She likes Greenpeace better than the last non-profit she worked for, Environment California.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like family here,\u201d she says. \u201cI went to Josh\u2019s house for Chanukah.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, the team is on break and Josh is explaining the 20-foot rule. He stands and points at a girl about 20 feet away.<\/p>\n \u201cSee her?\u201d he asks. \u201cI\u2019m going to make eye contact now so that when she passes she\u2019s already looking at me.\u201d The girl passes, looking at him.<\/p>\n Break ends. Carissa, Josh and Katrina return to their spots. Katrina takes a sip of her coffee and eyes the surroundings. A late-afternoon sun warms the plaza. Traffic has diminished notably, but a small stream of students flows past.<\/p>\n A girl carrying a Naked Juice with iPod earbuds spilling out of her sweatshirt pocket beelines toward Katrina.<\/p>\n \u201cGot a minute?\u201d Katrina says.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I do,\u201d says the girl.<\/p>\n \u201cCheck it out, we\u2019ve got 3 million members around the world, but we don\u2019t have enough supporters in the U.S.\u201d says Katrina. \u201cThat\u2019s why we need you.\u201d<\/p>\n The girl listens intently. Soon Katrina is opening the thick, blue book, and making small talk as the girl jots down her information and her debit card number.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for getting involved,\u201d Katrina says, grabbing a sip of coffee.<\/p>\n Josh comes over to supervise. He presides over the crayoning of the girl\u2019s debit card through the carbon paper. He gives her a sticker and a welcome packet.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so stoked I got one!\u201d says Katrina, as the girl walks away.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of many,\u201d says Josh.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel rejuvenated,\u201d says Katrina.<\/p>\n \u201cJust remember that feeling,\u201d says Josh. \u201cThat feeling never gets old.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The end of the world looms large, but Katrina Cook has a more pressing concern. It\u2019s her first day on the job canvassing for Greenpeace and if she can\u2019t enlist three supporters in three days she\u2019ll be fired. She stands between the Claw fountain and the bookstore, clutching a thick binder filled with donation forms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178839\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nThe girl shakes her head while mouthing \u201cno\u201d and continues walking.<\/p>\n