The Environmental Defense Fund is a nonprofit advocacy group “dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people.” It works on issues such as air and water pollution and climate change. Founded in 1967 by a group of scientists who had won a ban on the pesticide DDT, the EDF claims credit for helping get all hunted whales on the U.S. endangered species list and helping push California to enact a state law reducing emissions that contribute to global warming, among other things.
The group’s board of trustees is made up of scientists, economists, business executives, conservationists and philanthropists, and the group says 60 percent of its funding comes from donations or membership and one-third comes from foundations.
The EDF lobbies and produces fact sheets on a number of environmental issues. A unique feature of the EDF is its corporate partnerships, through which the group works with companies on business-friendly environmental innovations. For instance, the EDF established an office in Bentonville, Ark., to work with Walmart on increasing energy efficiency and other projects. The EDF accepts no payment for these efforts.
The EDF has a “Pollution Locator,” searchable by ZIP code or state, which provides information on local and national contamination levels for air, water and toxic waste, in addition to a seafood selector that advises on the best and worst fish to consume from the standpoints of human health and depletion of fisheries.
Comments: The website provides well-documented research on pollution. It tends to favor strict regulatory standards.
Political Leanings: Liberal