Grassroots vs. Astroturf

According to sourcewatch.org, astroturf "refers to apparently grassroots groups or coalitions which are actually fake, often created by corporations or public relations firms. Groups that use astroturf use deceptive methods in order to receive public support for their point of view. An example of this would be members of the "group" dialing around America on a variety of public issues, searching for citizens who can be persuaded to endorse the political objectives of clients such as Mobil Oil and US Tobacco.
Grassroots, on the other hand, is the honest organizing and lobbying by methods such as: putting up posters, talking with pedestrians on the streets, meetings, going door-to-door, etc. I consider the Rain forest Action Network (RAN) to be a grassroots organization. Found in 1985, this international organization is an international group of environmental activists that work to protect the environment. Using education, non-violent direct action, and grassroots organizing, RAN delivers hard-hitting campaigns that convince multinational corporations, such as Home Depot, to change their policies to protect endangered forests. Their website gives great information about their past, present and future accomplishments and goals. It is easy to see that RAN is a sincere grassroots organization that is successfully working to make changes that will be beneficial worldwide.


Sources:
-The Rain Forest Action Network website: http://ran.org/
-Sourcewatch.org
-Wikipedia.org