15/05/2003

Find out how people have been taking action both locally in the UK and around the world. Tell us what you have been doing by logging into My StopEsso. We will update this column regularly.

11 August
Sean, Twickenham
Many thanks for the great ‘Esso Sucks' t-shirt - I wore it at a summer camp and the organisers cancelled their big account with Esso! result! Thanks

9 August
Rob, South London
Hi there,I ordered a load of stickers from you a while ago and have run out. Too many good places to put 'em in South East London! I have also put up some of the speech bubbles in my staff room (i ‘m a teacher). Esso keeps sending me promotional stuff to school, posters and "educational" resources spurting on about how environmentally friendly they are. I scrawled across their A1 sized posters "**** off you polluters" but they didn't get the message and sent me back a nice clean poster! Nutters.

6 August
Sophie, Edinburgh
Me and all me friends have made mobile phone covers with the coin stickers stuck on to a phone covers and cutting round the keys with a needle….its quite good. Keep up the good work - the message is getting through- there’s stickers all round Edinburgh. Thank you. Sophie xxx

25 July
Paul, West Drayton
Hello, I run a website called madmash.com, which sells jewellery in the UK. Since we started we have been putting the ESSO sucks stickers on the back of the envelopes before we ship them out. Have stuck so many we’ve run out….we need more stickers!!!!

24 July
Sasha, Golders Green
Me and my friend went on a mini Gap protest, and were giving out leaflets outside, but we also stapled Anti-Esso ones to them. The problem is that I haven't received enough Esso leaflets! Please send lots and lots of leaflets! We then went up the high street putting the Anti-Esso stickers everywhere until a police officer made me take them off. But we just put them back on afterwards, just not on privately-owned shops. This all took place in Hampstead High street outside the Gap. Please send me as much of everything as you can! Stickers etc.

17 July
Alex, Portsmouth
I handed out loads of the stickers at school, and people are actually wearing them and some teachers are taking notice and have enquired about the campaign.

9 July
Magick alys, Hepworth
I have put the leaflets around my classroom and dining room at school. I don’t own a car, so I thought it better to get other people interested in the mean time!! Ive got my friends to sign up for campaign packs too!! And I keep trying to teach my teachers too!!!

WELL LATE BUT WORTH IT!

24 Feb
Alfonso, Enfield
Hi. The small stickers, I have been sticking in my block of flats and on all the pumps of my adopted station - they have already been taken off, but I'll be back!!! - and anywhere else they’ll stick. My dad has a cafe in Finsbury Park and the leaflets have gone like hotcakes, people were just not aware and were surprised, I mean they all knew that GW Bush is a p****, but not to what extent! I also strategically placed the car stickers not too far from the leaflets, and after the leaflets were read they were picking up the car stickers. All my family and friends have the Stop Esso car stickers in their car. The word is spreading!!!!!!

28 April
Charlie, Brighton
I have been posted exactly 250 stickers and in 1 day I spread 151 stickers around my school.

7 July
Matt, Walton on Thames
I have put them in the local supermarkets and shops and Ihave given leaflets to many people. I have had a few conversations with people from the public and they think that this is a brilliant idea!!

6 July
Rice and Zephyr, Portsmouth
hello greenpeace,
a few months ago you sent us some leaflets and stickers, we have finished handing them out and were wondering if you could send us some more please. thank you very very much we enjoy handing the stuff out and we like to think that we might be teaching more people about E$$O

4 July
Samantha,
Thringstone, Coalville
The Esso garage which myself and a few other Esso-haters protested outside has since been closed down! We like to think we had something to do with it! Down with Esso!

24 June
Birmingham Greenpeace
Take three weekends in Birmingham
A tabard and a table
A camera and some speech bubbles
Our activists were able
To take over 1000 photographs
To send to Esso’s bosses
Of Brummies expressing displeasure
At environmental losses

“ This Face you will not see again!
“ You are a global villain”
And the activists of Birmingham
Have proved themselves as willing
To show you up for what you are
And tell you that you suck
And when you are gone, the world will cry
"That Tiger’s dead.
Thank **** "

17 June
John, Cornwall
Hi! On Saturday I went around the car parks in the local city of Truro. I distributed tonnes of leaflets and I think the response was good. The people who were leaving or arriving were mostly happy to learn more and take leaflets, with only a few objectors. I am looking forward to carrying out more action across the summer as tourist season reaches its high.

Kate, Derbyshire
The stickers I stuck on lampposts at the beginning of March in South Wales and Derby are still surviving!

16 June
Emily, Hereford
We did a protest at Wilton Esso Station, and the manager went mad. When he saw us coming and refused to accept our letter, the police gave it to him and wished us luck. We got rid of almost all of the stuff by giving it to passers by and had a great day. Next time I think the manager might explode, so we’ll have to be a little quicker in giving him the letter.
StopEsso note: make sure you read the legal briefing before doing a protest so that you’re on the right side of the law.

“W”, Ormskirk
I have been active with the materials sticking them on all outgoing post my company sends out we also have a stall at Glastonbury on the new technology field so will be giving out campaign material again.

11 June
Josh, Cornwall
I walked down my local High Street handing out leaflets. One guy got in a really deep talk with me and after it, he said he is not buying from Esso again and is logging on to the site to help boycott world-killing Esso.

9 June
Pav, Bristol
We are doing an environmental project in our school on world pollution and we think Esso is one of the biggest Polluters.

Albert,London
My friends and I have been making songs about the StopEsso campaign in our school. We want our friends to know that Esso sucks. Our parents do not buy Esso and before the school term ends, we are sure our classmates' parents will stop buying Esso, because it sucks! We will grow not buying Esso and our kids will also not buy Esso till they sit up.

5 June
Jacob, Bath
I have stood in the town centre handing out leaflets and I must have given away about 50 as my friend gave me some of her stuff. Twenty of my friends joined in with me so we all put our stuff together and we are just going to go to some places where people go a lot and try and get more people to stop Esso.

4 June
Hester, Bristol
Just to let you know there was a question in my humanities GCSE yesterday about the stop Esso campaign. There was information about the campaign and Esso and a photo from the Greenpeace web site. It was quite cool because most of the kids in the country would have seen it.

2 June,
Keith, Essex,
Essex Greenpeace carried out demonstrations at every one of the 45 Esso Garages in Essex. Each demonstration lasted for at least 30 minutes, during which many thousands of motorists were made aware of the Stop Esso campaign. Such was the effect of this action on Esso, that police presence was requested by many garage owners, who will undoubtedly ask questions of their paymasters, and representatives of Esso UK had to make retaliatory comments in many sections of the local media. BBC Essex broadcast at least 10 news bulletins carrying information about the action. Most importantly of all, many people supported and asked questions of the demonstrations. Esso are scared of the campaign, and their only way out is to admit to their mistakes and make positive moves towards a sustainable culture.

29 May,
Foreman, Essex
I gave out leaflets to so many students in my school. Now they all know what Esso has been doing and why they should convince their parents not to buy from the company. I have also being giving out stickers to my friends to wear which grabbed a lot of peoples attention and they all ask what Esso has done. They were all very shocked. Esso will soon sit up and listen to our demands, ASAP!

27 May
Michael, Durham
I’ve stuck stickers all round Durham University campus and even in my local hairdressers on the high street.

23 May
Sophie, Bristol
I have stuck STOP ESSO stickers all around my school and it has become fashion to wear one of these stickers on your jumper or blazer. It's quite remarkable how many people have been convinced to help others to change their ways. I feel sorry for the poor employees who have to remove our stickers each morning after we walk to school, (through the forecourt!) Good luck to all campaigners!!

Will, Bristol
We have been stopping at houses and giving the leaflets out and I’ve been spreading the leaflets round school.

Christopher, Brighton
I have stuck about 300 stickers all around Brighton and handed out leaflets. I really think I am getting through to everybody.

20 May
Lara, Berkshire.
The whole of Slough and Maidenhead High Street are covered in stickers and I have a crew of four helping me give them out! My local pub has let me distribute leaflets and have put some up themselves and they let me fill the till with the pound coin stickers, which have been turning up everywhere! Thank you.

Josh, Bristol
My Campaign is working very well now. I have spread the word to my mates and over 20 people in my school have campaign packs and petitions have been going everywhere and the Esso station near me is now facing reality.

Phil, Kent
Hey there! I managed to use up all of my first pack in just a few days. I had help from a lot of my friends. Everyone accepted a sticker and loved the posters and my mum now has about 5 Car stickers in her car, I’m happy to say after reading a leaflet my mum no longer buys Esso! and is happy to show off her Stop Esso stickers. I managed to stick most of my posters outside the Esso opposite my local nightclub. Keep up the good work guys!

19 May
Peter, Wolverhampton
My campaign on Saturday the 17th was a complete success. Me and 4 of my mates all protested outside of the Esso station @ Newbridge. We had big wooden boards saying honk if you hate Esso and the whole of the traffic was honking.

Your campaign pack was very useful I would like to thank you for it. Everyone was taking the bad company leaflets and stickers off us, and saying very good job. The police told us to take down the honk if you hate Esso sign down as it was a distraction for drivers. We made it ourselves with paint on wood.

We need materials for boycotting and taking the Mick out of Esso for our next protest and door to door campaign, where in which we get people to sign our petition and stop Esso, and give them stickers and car transfers from you.

Also, at my school we print t-shirts saying stuff like Esso-global warming villain and Esso-stop fuelling war. We sell them at £6.00 each and we will be sending you the money raised from those t-shirts A.S.A.P. Thank you very much.

Chris, Watford
I have been going into local shops, informing them about Esso and why they should support Stop Esso, and then asking them to use the stickers I have on the money they have in the shop!

Tim, Chester
I have stuck them round my village up with pins and started a campaign to STOP ESSO!

15 May
Ian, Liverpool
"As a teacher, the campaign pack has been wonderful for my GCSE Religious Studies students, looking at Environmental Issues. The students had not heard of the campaign before and several have expressed an interest at becoming more involved with both this and the Greenpeace / Friends of the Earth websites and campaigns."

12 May
Katie, Surrey
Thanks for this campaign pack you sent me, it’s really helped me with my project and telling ppl that Esso is a twisted and corrupt company! I’m going to try and organise protest outside my nearest Esso.

11 May
Josh, Bristol
I put an I DON’T BUY ESSO window sticker in the window of the Esso station I am boycotting.

7 May
Eva, Coventry
I’ve been sticking the cash machine ones around Coventry City centre and around my college with the speech bubbles. Cheers. My mum got me a car sticker :-D

"J", Bath
1 Distribution of circa 100 leaflets (Bad Company and coloured card stuck with \"One does not buy Esso\") to the Fairfield Park area of Bath. Continuing with it. 2 Marking pound coins and distributing on small scale in Bath 3 Will join local group actively to collaborate and strategise.

Sophie, Edinburgh
I went into town. On Cockburn street and got pie in the sky, flip and kickass all to agree to put one in every bag of shopping that they sold. I gave them so many leaflets that they were still doing it a week later.

3 May
David, New York
Great! We never buy Exxon or Mobil and ask our friends to do likewise.

23 April
Josh,East Sussex
I have got many people involved, we are planning to put a \"I don’t buy esso\" or \"Esso sucks" sticker on the front door of our local!

10 April,
James, Boston
People (not me) have stuck loads and loads in our school.

8 April
Jonathan, Cornwall
I am talking to people about a protest and getting it organised I have already been emailed a document with info on protests on it and am making letters.

31 March
Lebra, France
Hi all, I live in France and I have boycotted an ESSO station near where I live by just standing with friends in a peaceful attitude with posters on placards that we made saying \" boycotter Esso a jamais\" which means boycott Esso for ever. I must say we had a bit of a success until our French policemen came and we got picked up in their black Maria and sent to the nearest police station as the owner of the Esso station rang them earlier. No harm was done to us only our name and addresses were taken just in case we were villains! Well they are the one who are s****ing on our earth just for their own profit. You know like Joe Strummer from THE CLASH use to say I’m so bored with the USA he is so right R.I.P. Joe. All my love to you all over in the UK we are with you hear in France and do as we do BOYCOTT AS MUCH VILLAIN AMERICAN COMPANIES AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. Love SEBASTIAN.

28 March,
Luke, Beccles
Handed them to friends and put them on school cars. That is the window stickers and leaflets

22 March
Daniel,Dorchester
Hi, I’ve run out of stickers! At my school there was no war protest on the field and I handed out all of the stickers there! it was a good day and alot of us ran out of school giving anyone and everyone stickers! Thanks for the pack I look forward to receiving some more! Thanks,

Kate, Derby.
I have made very good use of the materials in the last pack you sent to me. The leaflets have been distributed to friends, relatives and strangers, plus placed inside family cars (against windows). The stickers were used in many ways: on the tops and trousers of friends and relatives, on the bottom of shoes, on bags and coats, on lampposts from South Wales to Derby, on the back of public toilet doors, on personal items like purses. Thanks, Kate

20 March,
Daniel, Sittingbourne
I stuck the large stickers on the nearest Esso garage to me. I also put on right on the counter inside. (I then ran away before I was noticed the lady behind the counter was not pleased).

Legal Note: StopEsso does not condone illegal stickering activities and advises to always ask permission if stickering other peoples property.

We advise that anybody under the age of 18 who wishes to organise a protest must be accompanied by an adult.