Environmental Defense

Three decades ago, Environmental Defense was started when four scientists on Long Island set out to halt the use of DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane), the pesticide Rachel Carson warned about in Silent Spring. DDT caused eggshells to weaken and crack, threatening the survival of magnificent birds like the osprey, bald eagle and peregrine falcon.
Our founders tried a novel approach, common today but unheard of in 1967: They went to court on behalf of the environment. Their efforts led to a nationwide ban on DDT and the birth of modern environmental law. The osprey has since made a dramatic recovery, and the bald eagle and peregrine falcon have been removed from the endangered species list.

Soon we were hiring economists, engineers and computer analysts to find ways to help the environment without harming the economy. In the process, Environmental Defense became one of America's most influential environmental advocacy groups, now with over 400,000 members and more Ph.D. scientists and economists on staff than any similar organization.

From the beginning, we made a commitment not only to oppose ill-conceived policies, but also to propose alternatives. We still go to court when necessary, but increasingly we work directly with business, government and community groups, forging solutions that make sense for all.

Some Notable Environmental Defense Victories:

• 1967: A small group of scientists incorporates our organization as the Environmental Defense Fund after winning a battle against the pesticide DDT, which had been harming wildlife.
• 1970: We help bring all hunted whales onto the U.S. endangered species list.
• 1977: Our campaign curbs the use of the hazardous flame retardant TRIS in children's sleepwear.
• 1985: We help convince federal regulators to phase lead out of gasoline.
• 1989: Southern California's largest urban water district adopts our plan to finance water conservation on farms by buying the conserved water.
• 1990: The new Clean Air Act incorporates our innovative market-based methods to cut air pollution, leading to less acid rain.
• 1991: McDonald's accepts the recommendations of our joint task force, eventually eliminating a cumulative total of more than 150,000 tons of packaging waste.
• 1996: We help the Panará Indians of Brazil win protection for their homeland, protecting 1.2 million acres of Amazonian rainforest from deforestation.
• 1999: Pollution from older fossil-fuel power plants in Texas is brought under tighter control when we help draft and win new legislation.
• 2000: Environmental Defense partners with eight leading companies to cut greenhouse gases. Also, landowners enroll about 2 million acres in Safe Harbor programs Environmental Defense developed to protect endangered wildlife.
• 2001: Environmental Defense empowers nearly 1 million individuals to take action globally and in their own communities through its ActionNetwork.org web site, and provides detailed environmental information for every Zip code in America on its Scorecard.org web site.
• 2002: We encourage New York Governor George Pataki to sign an executive order requiring diesel-powered equipment at the World Trade Center reconstruction site use clean fuel technologies to reduce pollutants in Lower Manhattan. Within several months, this requirement spreads throughout all of New York City and becomes a model for other localities as well.
• 2003: With our backing, in part through the launch of the Global Warming: Undo It campaign, the bipartisan Climate Stewardship Act (sponsored by Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman) wins unexpectedly strong support from 43 senators on its first vote in the Senate. This strong showing marks a shift in political momentum on global warming in the United States.
• 2004: FedEx Express's new hybrid electric delivery trucks, spurred by Environmental Defense and developed by Eaton Corporation, take to the streets in Sacramento, New York City and Tampa, Florida. The trucks, which reduce emissions by up to 90% and cut fuel use some 57%, are creating rippling effects throughout the express delivery business.

While we can point to some big victories, the environment is declining on many fronts. Each day more species are lost, more pollution enters the air and more contaminants spill into our rivers and seas. To reverse these trends, we must galvanize every public and private sector. By joining Environmental Defense, you can help support that goal.