Name: Bill

Position on board: Electrician

Nationality: Australian

My name is Bill, and I'm a 37-year-old Australian. I work as the ship's electrician and an activist.

Why I joined the organisation is because I consider myself to be (relatively) intelligent, and for a long time I have been concerned with the way we, as apparently the most advanced form of life on the planet, are continually destroying the very environment that supports us.

I only recently began working for Greenpeace. Previously, I have worked in the forestry industry and seen companies profit from the exploitation of non-industrialized countries. I have also worked on fishing ships and seen the rape of the seas for seafood exports, and how the industry is driven to frenzy by overseas tastes for the biggest or the rare. I have even worked in the mining industry where I saw the pollution of large tracts of dessert by companies that consider it worthless wasteland.

Man is destroying the air he breathes, the only planet he has, and doesn't seem to be able to admit that he is his own downfall.

As I said I'm 37 - and for years now I have been sitting in my living room complaining about these things, but believing that I could not do a thing to change them. Well, I was wrong.

There are ways people can make that difference, and my way was to join Greenpeace. It's not for everyone, but I took a large pay cut and I now surround myself with like-minded people.

Life on board is quite different to that of life on land. For one, the ship is always moving, and your bed is not always flat. Then also, the people you talk with one day will be the same people you talk with the next. The view is constantly changing, and the sunsets can take your breath away. I get to see the world for all it's natural wonder, but also for all its man made disgusts.

On the ship, we constantly train for safety with the boats and climbing. Also, we are constantly practising how to be non-violent. This is important as violence solves nothing, but just creates a new problem.

Most importantly, I can sit down at the end of the day and feel that I'm doing something positive to give to the next generation - not only leaving mistakes for them to clean up.

I put in at least six days a week - waking at 7:00am to make my breakfast and go to work. Lunch is provided, and we all enjoy it together. After lunch, back to work for the afternoon until dinner is served at 6:00pm. Again we all eat together. Then it's time for a beer or read or just relax.

It's an interesting life, and at the end of the day I'm doing something not just sitting on my ass hoping someone else will save it.

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