NRDC 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.
We believe the world’s children should inherit a planet that will sustain them as it has sustained us. NRDC works to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water and the wild, and to prevent special interests from undermining public interests.
NRDC experts use data and science to unearth the root causes of the problems that confront us. We use that information to blueprint transformative solutions, and we mobilize the support of partners, members, and activists to advocate for laws and policies that will protect our environment far into the future.
From the bustling streets of Southeast Asia to the majestic forests of North America, NRDC’s work takes us to communities across the globe—and in your backyard.