Natural Resources Defense Council

The mightiest environmental organization you may have never heard of, The NRDC has been quietly serving on the frontlines in the name of Mother Earth for going on 43 years. Formed by an alliance of scientists and lawyers, the NRDC has taken the battle to Washington, and has filed in their dossier a number of key accomplishments in 2012 alone not limited to the following:

*Clean car standards were raised to 54 .5 mpg through a bill the NRDC backed sponsored.

*The first limits on carbon emissions from new power plants were established through a proposal the NRDC wrote.

*In a court of law, The NRDC successfully thwarted an effort by large-scale ecological spoilers to prevent the EPA from lowering carbon emissions.

*The NRDC Crafted a report on food waste in the U.S. that seeks to reduce it starting with the retail sector.

*Through the legal system, the NRDC pushed the EPA into enforcing the Clean Air Act in regards to mercury pollution.

*The NRDC helped create California's Central Valley Flood Protection Plan.

*A lawsuit was filed and won by the NRDC against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failing to properly rectify unsafe nuclear fuel storage practices.

*Oceanic fish populations in the United States are rebounding thanks to the NRDC who secured catch limits to effectively curb overfishing.

*The Department of Energy now requires new dishwashers and clotheswashers to use less water and power due in part to the NRDC and a compromise achieved by manufacturers and consumer and environmental groups.

The NRDC is also a highly rated charity by both the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator and is considered one of the top 10 non-profit employers by Non-Profit Times.

To address another petty, snarky, profanity-laden (someone's been lurking on Cracked.com a little too much), propaganda-laced (humans are omnivores. deal with it.) review, the NRDC is not a vegan organization, but they do in fact have environmentally-friendly positions on farming. There are sustainable methods that can be used to grow both vegetables and raise livestock, and the NRDC itself is supportive of a local-first, pesticide-free form of agriculture. The current, predominant American farming system isn't producing healthy, ethical, organic vegetables either. Eliminating meat production and stifling a millennia-old human habit alone won't end global warming, and dismissing the NRDC entirely for not adopting a hardline vegan stance is unfair.

Give to the NRDC today and help cure the ills that weaken our planet.

I was prompted to write this review after reading the following essay by Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke to commemorate International Women's Day and how it relates to the environment.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/03/09-6

My wife sent $25 to the NRDC, which we thought was the least we could do what with the anti-environment zeal of our White House. We were paid back for our generosity with two to four solicitations in our mail six days a week for the next several months from different nonprofits, union organizations and fundraising groups. Thick letters, stuffed with glossy paper and return address labels, coins and other non-recyclable gimmicks to get us to donate more money to more groups. I have to wonder if there's a single person who would voluntarily, willingly sign up for a torrent of junk mail coming towards them, but of course we were never asked permission. It seems a single small donation automatically registers us for a bombardment of solicitations. I called and they (apparently) removed our name from their list in a chirpy, unapologetic tone, saying they've found it was the way to "expand their subscriber base" - along with every other nonprofit they know. I've worked in the nonprofit field, and know that the struggle to keep the doors open is constant, but this unethical harassment is the kind of thing that gives nonprofits a bad name. They need to stop doing this crap immediately.

I'm stunned that our voluntary contribution to one of the most well-known environmental organizations in operation turned out to actually have a negative impact on the environment. It's beyond words.

the nrdc is one of the few large-scale environmental organizations with pull in washington.