was founded in March, 1989, under the auspices of the Chemists' Scientific Club at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The first issue in Polish came out in May of that year. Since then, 174 issues have been published in Polish and 24 in English. Currently, "Green Brigades" in Polish (English we stopped publish because lack of money) has a circulation of about 700 + few houndreds readers in internet, which is quite large by Polish standards. It should be added that the editors do most of the work as a public service. The purpose of the paper continues to be to facilitate information exchange between various groups active in the fields of ecology, alternative economy, wildlife conservation, environmental protection, animal rights, vegetarianism, and healthy lifestyles, regardless of any differences - political, religious, organisational, philosophical, generational, and the like.
Our materials are submitted, for the most part, by amateur environmentalists, and not by professional journalists. We believe that such an editorial policy stimulates ecological activity. We do not avoid topics like military service, fascism, feminism, human rights, and others which are of interest to people who belong to or sympathise with so-called alternative movements. There are many different articles, commentaries, and discussions on subjects ranging from profound philosophical aspects of ecology to instructions on how to build a sun-cooker or a stork's nest. Of course, we do not forget to monitor the moves of "the enemy." In "Green Brigades" you will also find reports about the current activities and planned events of Polish organisations that take up ecological initiatives, because even most of the nation-wide ecological groups do not have their own bulletins. "Green Brigades" additionally serves as a channel of communication between the ecological movement and the institutions responsible for environmental protection. "Green Brigades" facilitates the exchange of information and viewpoints between all kinds of ecological groups, in the broad sense of the term, without any claim to being a "centre" of the ecological movement, its integration, or unification.
Since the autumn of 1989, we have been publishing an English edition of the periodical. It is intended to inform the international ecological community about the activities of the ecological movement in Poland, and to present the ecological problems of our country. It offers a digest of the Polish edition, plus a selection of articles from other ecological papers and nation-wide press. Some articles are written especially for the English edition. We remain one of the very few regular "green" papers in Poland, and the only one to have an English version. Also, we have had one publication in Russian - a pamphlet on animal rights philosophy.
The current activities of "Green Brigades" are not limited to the publication of papers. We also:
Since the autumn of 1989, we have been independent of the Chemists' Scientific Club or any other ecological group or organisation. However, we still benefit from the kind assistance of several individuals and groups. We receive with great appreciation:
The Polish version of Green Brigades (Zielone Brygady) serves as a channel of communication for the environmental movement and the institutions responsible for environmental protection in Poland. Green Brigades reports on the current activities and planned events of Polish environmental organizations, because many of the nation-wide environmental groups do not have their own bulletins. Our materials are submitted, for the most part, by amateur environmentalists, and not by professional journalists. The editors do most of the work as a public service. The purpose of the paper continues to be: to facilitate the exchange of information and viewpoints among various groups active in the fields of ecology, wildlife conservation, environmental protection, public participation, human and animal rights, vegetarianism, and healthy lifestyles, regardless of any differences - political, religious, organizational, philosophical, generational, and the like.
We have been publishing the English edition of the periodical since the autumn of 1989. It is intended to inform the international environmental community about the activities of the environmental movement in Poland, and to present the environmental problems of our country. Also, we have had one publication in Russian - a pamphlet on animal rights philosophy.
Since its founding, Green Brigades has expanded into a publishing house which serves the environmental movement in Poland. We now also publish Grasshopper, the quarterly newsletter for environmental NGOs in the Eastern Carpathians Region, as well as a series of pamphlets on various environmental topics called the "Green Brigades Library".
Our work primarily consists of the publication of the newsletters and pamphlets mentioned above. Our Polish language publications are aimed toward all individuals concerned with environmental issues in Poland. Our foreign language publications are aimed at an international audience and are intended to present the environmental situation in Poland and to describe the activities of the environmental movement in Poland.
Information dissemination is critical to the growth and strength of the environmental movement in Poland and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe. Our work enables environmentalists all over Poland to share their knowledge and also draws the attention of people to the importance of environmental issues.