Since our founding in 1969, Friends of the Earth has: 

2005

Cancer Prevention – Friends of the Earth and our partners in the Safe Cosmetics Campaign have signed nearly 200 companies onto our Compact for Safe Cosmetics.  These companies, representing an estimated $4 billion in sales, have pledged not to use chemicals in their products that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.

Improved Automobile Fuel Efficiency – Our Bluewater Network ran a series of advertisements in the New York Times and other publications pressuring Ford Motor Company to improve their fleet’s fuel economy.  Since launching this campaign, Ford has announced a global plan to produce 250,000 hybrid vehicles annually by 2010.  Bluewater has since launched an ad campaign challenging Volvo and Toyota to improve fuel economy.

Funding for Renewable Energy in Developing Countries - Following intensive advocacy by Friends of the Earth, the World Bank, the world's largest development institution, announced it will increase its financing for renewable energy projects by 20 percent each year over the next five years.

Protecting America’s Rail System – Friends of the Earth’s nationwide organizing efforts helped build significant momentum in Congress to fully fund Amtrak, while blocking the Bush administration’s plan to bankrupt the system.

Cruise Ship Pollution Banned – Our Bluewater Network crafted and helped pass three bills that will ban dumping and pollution from cruise ships within three miles of the California coast.  With this rigorous standard in place, Bluewater plans to help other coastal states adopt similar regulations.

2004

Fought back a proposal to log the Tongass National Forest by marshalling bipartisan support in Congress

Helped convince the Senate to block the nomination of the anti-environmental and energy industry favorite William Myers to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Achieved a state ban on biopharmaceutical rice when staff experts exposed the environmental and health threats of bioengineered pharmaceuticals in rice crops in Southern California.

Revealed the failure of a number of Fortune 500 corporations to disclose the climate change impacts of their operations as required by law.

2003

Informed millions of people about the Bush administration’s assaults on the environment.

Won a law suit to stop the Small Business Administration from lending practices that encourage urban sprawl.

Forced the Securities Exchange Commission to review the environmental reporting of all Fortune 500 companies.

Exposed over $20 billion in government subsidies in the Bush Energy Bill to corporate polluters.

Filed a second law suit on global climate change to demand that the US Environmental Protection Agency regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

2002

Helped block the multi-billion dollar Bush energy bill, which would have subsidized the coal, oil, gas and nuclear industries.

Convinced Congress to cut funding for an arm of the World Bank which underwrites environmentally harmful projects worldwide.

Exposed ethics violations by Deputy Secretary of the Interior Steven Griles.

Organized groups in 170 U.S. cities to challenge Kraft Foods to remove genetically engineered ingredients from their products

Launched a landmark legal case demanding that the US Export Import Bank stop financing environmentally and socially destructive fossil fuel projects, which contribute to climate change.

2001

Spearheaded a campaign in Florida to publicize the health risks from methyl bromide exposure.

FoE’s Campaign for Corporate Responsibility expanded its training activities to educate shareholders and activists on private finance advocacy and shareholder activism.

The Green Scissors Campaign expanded into states with the publication of the California Green Watchdog Report.

Convinced the California state legislature to adopt recommendations calling for monetary penalties for corporate polluters.

2000

In Seattle, worked with colleagues in labor unions and thousands of activists from over 40 countries to protest World Trade Organization’s anti-environmental record.  Activist pressure achieved the collapse of WTO negotiations.

Lobbied successfully for landmark international environmental protections in a U.S.-Jordan trade deal.

Celebrated its 25th anniversary by mobilizing a mass demonstration for social justice on the National Mall to demand debt relief for impoverished countries.

Led a successful campaign in Washington , DC to halt the construction of prison that would destroy acres of parkland in the nation’s capital.

Won a Supreme Court victory preserving citizens’ rights to enforce federal environmental laws in court.

Brought the nation’s attention to the existence and health hazard of genetically engineered ingredients when it detected it in Kraft Taco Bell taco shells.  Kraft was forced to admit its illegal use, pulled the taco shells from grocery shelves, and recalled 1.2 million bushels of contaminated corn.

1999

FoE’s Green Scissors Campaign targeted 72 environmentally harmful government programs and corporate subsidies to known polluters costing taxpayers over $150 billion.

Blocked the construction of the 710 Freeway in South Pasadena , California, saving a large historic community from demolition and 4,000 residents from forced relocation.

Won a law suit against the State of California to adopt new regulations to safeguard the public against the toxic pesticide, methyl bromide.

Led a successful campaign in Washington , DC to restore curbside recycling program for District residents.

1998

Produced the Environmental Report Card on the voting records of the D.C. City Council in mid-July. Over 12,000 copies were distributed citywide prior to election.

Defeated "fast track" trade negotiating authority. Fast track would have made it easier to negotiate more anti-environmental trade agreements without full, democratic debate over the impacts of these deals.

Blocked the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, an international treaty that would have given more power to corporations to invest throughout the world.

Started a sport utility vehicle (SUV) Web site with surveys and facts about the destruction SUVs cause.

1997

Friends of the Earth's IMF reform efforts forced the IMF to participate in a comprehensive effort to reduce debt of poor countries around the world. In response to non-governmental organization (NGO) pressure, the IMF commissioned its first-ever external review of its structural adjustment loans to the poorest countries.

Coordinated the International NGO Alliance for Ozone Layer Protection, which successfully pressed for additional funding to assist southern countries in phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals.

Friends of the Earth's Northwest Office led a successful campaign to abolish the Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit Program, which allowed developers to fill in wetlands without any environmental review.

1996

Pursued Congress and the White House to eliminate $20 billion in federal programs that would have harmed the planet.

Friends of the Earth's Earth Budget revealed that of more than 1.5 trillion spent annually on federal programs, less than 2 percent goes to activities that actually protect the environment.

Released the Road to Ruin Report identifying 22 environmentally destructive highway projects in 15 states that would cost federal taxpayers some $10 billion.

Convinced World Bank President James Wolfensohn, along with the help of other groups, to withdraw support for a Shell project to construct a new gas plant and pipeline in Nigeria .

Published River of Red Ink showing how millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on activities harmful to already-at-risk salmon runs.

1995

Released Green Scissors Report. Several of the cuts recommended were made in the 1996 appropriations bills.

Published Dirty Little Secrets, which exposed $4 billion worth of tax breaks and loopholes offered to polluting industries at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Started the Clean Steel Coalition, a group of labor, environmental and environmental justice groups that Friends of the Earth helped to organize to work for cleaner steel production.

Organized a conference of academics and activists from as far away as Eastern Europe and South Africa to strategize on ways to make the IMF accountable to the public and to pressure the institution to control socially and environmentally damaging private speculation.

Stopped the World Bank from funding Nepal 's Arun Dam, a battle Friends of the Earth fought for more than two years.

1994

Helped ensure public participation in trade agreements by working to remove the administration's authority to negotiate trade agreements without citizen and congressional input.

1993

Released Earth Budget, a comprehensive analysis of how the federal government spends money on the environment.

Published Crude Awakening, a 350-page report exposing the waste and inefficiency of the oil and gas industry.

Launched the Green Scissors campaign with National Taxpayers Union leading to billions of dollars of anti-environmental federal spending cut from the budget.

Waged fight for workers and the environment threatened by the North American Free Trade Agreement.

1992

Friends of the Earth's Groundwater Project convened landmark conference in Memphis to unify grassroots efforts to protect groundwater.

Friends of the Earth's work to restore Elwha River in the Pacific Northwest achieved a major victory with passage of Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act.

1991

Launched Green Tax Project to shift taxes away from people and onto polluters.

1990

Following the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, Friends of the Earth pressured Congress to pass the Oil Spill Pollution Act. Despite fierce opposition, it passes in 1990, requiring double hulls on new tankers.

Published Strip Mining Handbook, which was widely used by coal-country citizens to fight back against the ravages of coal mining.

Launched Economics for the Earth campaign by establishing the environmental community's first-ever appropriations project to increase federal environmental spending and cut anti-environmental spending and subsidies.

Led successful fight for chemical safety provisions in contentious Clean Air Act reauthorization.

1989

Merged with EPI and the Oceanic Society, signaling a new era in the organization's history.

Fought for and won first in series of new laws that call for IMF reform.

1988

EPI published Bankrolling Successes: A Portfolio of Sustainable Development Projects, which advanced thinking about how to have economic development while protecting the environment.

1987

Launched Ozone Protection Campaign. Efforts led to phase out of most products that deplete the ozone, such as aerosols and air conditioning coolants with chlorofluorocarbons.

1986

Moved headquarters to Washington , D.C.

1983

Sponsored acid rain abatement resolution in New Hampshire, which all but two of 200 New Hampshire towns approved.

EPI set up first-ever groundwater protection project.

EPI led coalition that launched campaign to reform the World Bank. Campaign later expanded to include other multilateral development banks and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

1981

With the Sierra Club, presented to Congress a 1.1 million-signature petition to oust Interior Secretary James Watt. Watt resigns in 1983.

EPI began formal campaign to stop Synthetic Fuels Corporation, a government corporation wasting billions on environmentally threatening synfuels development. Over four years, EPI shut down the corporation, along with several DOE synfuels' projects.

1979

Started campaign that stopped MX Missile.

1978

EPI launched successful campaign to stop legislation that would allow condemnation of private land for coal slurry shipment.

1977

Broke ranks with environmental community and supports Eskimos' rights to subsistence hunting of bowhead whales.

Intensified work on Alaska Lands Act, which passed in 1980, protecting more than 100 million acres.

EPI began successful 10-year fight to prevent passage of the Omnibus Rivers and Harbors Act, which would have authorized destructive Army Corps of Engineers projects.

With EPI Director Louise Dunlap at his side, President Carter signed Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, the landmark law regulating strip mining.

1972

Friends of the Earth-Washington staff spin off to form Environmental Policy Center , which later became Environmental Policy Institute (EPI).

Friends of the Earth-UK's Amory Lovins, pioneer in energy alternatives and efficiency, testifies before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy against the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor.

1971

Succeeded in convincing Senate to vote against Super Sonic Transport. The Super Sonic Transport was a high-speed airplane that can cross the Atlantic at 2.2 times the speed of sound, enabling it to cross the Atlantic in 3 1/2 hours. But the pollution and noise it caused outweighed the speed.

Launched international campaign to save the whale. Whaling banned in 1982.

1970

Launched "fashion revolution" campaign to discourage wearing of wild furs and feathers.

Published first Not Man Apart, Friends of the Earth's award-winning flagship publication.

Launched campaign to save rivers. Our efforts stopped over 150 dams and destructive water projects.

Friends of the Earth International founded. First affiliate is in France, Les Amis de la Terre. Friends of the Earth International now has grassroots member groups spanning 69 countries.

April 22, 1970 : First Earth Day. Friends of the Earth published Environmental Handbook for the occasion. One million sold.

1969

Sept. 15, 1969 : Friends of the Earth founder David Brower held press conference announcing Friends of the Earth's birth. We opened our office in an old San Francisco firehouse.