NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) was founded in 1970 by a group of law students and attorneys at the forefront of the environmental movement. Today’s leadership team and board of trustees makes sure the organization continues to work to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.

NRDC works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

With dedicated staff working in more than a dozen program areas, we partner with businesses, elected leaders, and community groups on the biggest issues we face today:

Climate & Clean Energy

Healthy People & Thriving Communities

International

Litigation

Nature

Science Center