Day in ze office

Transposed from an older blog

Had very late night, so nightmare to wake up early to get to office for 9am. Planned on starting day with meeting with Jason, to sort out what still needed doing for Saturday’s big London wide extravaganza. Unfortunately got in to find out he’d been delayed. So sorted emails and updated London Networks events diary.

10 am, headed off to Campaign Group meeting. I’m on a mission to find out how GP turns ideas into actual campaigning events. I know how we make stuff happen out here in active supporter land, but I think it would be useful to know how the office structures its planning. As it happens I am about to start helping out on a climate project, and so I’d invited myself into the Campaign Group meeting on the back of that. Found J as I headed out of building to meeting venue.

Meeting dull, but useful experience. Lots of updates from different campaigns, look forward to new stuff, with lots of big GP hats there. Followed by communications meeting to sort out messages for new climate project. Back to office to catch up with what needs doing for Saturday. Materials all here and good looking, but posters need mounting, materials need dividing up by team, fluro jackets need stickering, stickers not here yet, no idea where other materials are hidden, need to get clipboards and other details all by 6.30pm or else.

By time been through what needs doing, we’re still waiting on another volunteer to come in. So go out to lunch to chat more, discuss other things coming up, and bits about Greenpeaceactive website. Talk with climate team about meeting tonight between GP and key people from Alliance against 4x4’s. Quick phone around to check it’s all on, then lots of other phone calls to sort out details from ‘quick’ phone around. Sit through second briefing of what needs doing (hmmm) to bring other volunteer up to speed (fair enough) but she wasn’t expecting to get drafted onto this last minute panic that’s now brewing. Help.

Clipboard buying mission to Hanways, they only have ¼ of what we need but it’s a start. Maybe should have sorted this before the last minute. Order more for tomorrow, don’t know how we’re going to distribute them by Saturday?

Finally off to warehouse to talk about practical ways of getting posters mounted fast. R has inspired idea, thanks. Collect together and bag fluoro’s, 12 teams, 10 per team, kind of heavy. Knackered now. I get on as J disappears. Turns out he’s been kidnapped by another meeting, GP business I think, arrrgghh, starting to run out of time here.

More emailing to fill time, till can get hands on petty cash and find materials. Give up waiting and start sorting material, one way or another something has to be ready. Grab J again about getting boards, and cash, track down material buried in climate space, he’s got another problem brewing so leave him to it, go over to H’s to sort stuff. Blagg a board, Jason can buy rest later. Get on with sorting materials.

J back on board 4.30pm, finally got boards from H, kidnap 2nd (Hi R) and soon 3rd volunteer (Thanks G) to get boards cut and posters stapled. No hurry here. Just 70 more boards to go. Get first few done, before meeting with climate about interesting stuff 5.30pm. Feel a bit evil dragging folk into help out, and then deserting them so bribe them with Tea. More frantic board producing. First team leaders start coming in and get drafted, staple here and here, now do it again but much faster. Starting to run from a to b at this point. Not as fit as I used to be. Me not worried at all, everything’s going to be fine.

6.30pm Alliance/GP meeting about more 4x4 stuff, all good but no time so desert meeting half way through. Photocopying of feedback forms and other miscellanea for tonight’s gathering. Back down fluro’s being relabelled not nearly enough time to finish so I guess everyone gets homework.

Finally gathering at 7.30pm. distribution of materials, final talk through, couple of new ideas, lots of briefings and feedback forms in pretty GP briefing packs/folders. Few last minute bits of troubleshooting. All done, day over. Fin

Or not, head off to Hackney for first ever Hackney green drinks. Lots of schmoozing with local tree activists, they like plant trees (cool), lots of Green party people, Agenda 21 bod? Many others, but nasty Weatherspoons pub. Long conversations about both sustainable finance and biodiesal. Lots of GP folk there, which is good, but too much beer, so bit drunk by chucking out time.

Final late night drink in Hackney, bed by 2am up at 7.30am to go to work. Pretty typical volunteer day at Greenpeace with chaos, last minute madness, but everything coming together because it has to.