The emergence of Greenpeace in the late 1960s from a loose-knit group of anti-nuclear and anti-whaling activists fundamentally changed the nature of environmentalism--its purpose, philosophy, and tactics--around the world. And yet there has been no comprehensive objective history of Greenpeace's origins-until now.

Make It a Green Peace draws upon meeting minutes, internal correspondence, manifestos, philosophical writings, and interviews with former members to offer the first full account of the origins of what has become the most recognizable environmental non-governmental...