NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, is the one of the most effective U.S.-based environmental action groups. We use law, science and the support of 1.2 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.

NRDC's top institutional priorities are to:
> Curb Global Warming
> Move America Beyond Oil
> Revive the World's Oceans
> Save Endangered Wild Places
> Stem the Tide of Toxic Chemicals
> Accelerate the Greening of China

NRDC's programs fall within seven overarching issue areas: Air & Energy, Health, International, Land, Nuclear, Urban, and Water & Oceans. In addition, our staff collaborate across program areas through 'centers' focused on effective environmental advocacy, studying and combatting climate change, transforming markets, and advancing the use of sound science in public policy.

Within each program, NRDC's environmental experts work on issues at the local, regional, national, and international levels and work with governments, businesses, media, and diverse coalitions of environmental, religious, labor, civil rights, recreational, and consumer organizations.

Here's more detail about NRDC's program areas:

The Air/Energy Program focuses on measures to combat global warming, oil independence, energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean air standards, smart growth and transportation policy.

The Health Program works on issues involving safe drinking water, pesticides, industrial chemicals and other environmental health threats, and looks for opportunities to reduce the use and release of toxics into the environment.

The International Program, often in association with other programs, works on rainforest conservation, preservation of biodiversity and habitats, protection of oceans and marine life, nuclear non-proliferation, and global warming solutions.

The Land Program works to protect the biological, ecological and natural values of our national forests, parks and other public lands, to promote improved management of private forest lands, and to reduce U.S. consumption of products made from wood.

The Nuclear Program surveys and analyzes developments on a variety of nuclear weapon issues ranging from keeping track of global arsenals and the status of arms treaties, to the problems of waste and fissile material disposition, security and control.

The Urban Program focuses on environmental problems confronting our major urban centers and surrounding areas. Major issues include air and water quality, environmental justice, habitat and open space, garbage and recycling, transportation, water supply, and sprawl.

The Water and Ocean Program works to protect and restore oceans, the nation's water quality, fish populations and wetlands and undertakes key regional initiatives in pursuit of these goals in areas such as the Everglades, San Francisco Bay, the San Joaquin River, the Channel Islands and the New York/New Jersey Harbor-Bight.

Founded in 1970, NRDC has fought successfully for more than 35 years to defend wilderness and wildlife and to protect clean air, clean water and a healthy environment. Key victories NRDC and our members and partners have achieved include the following:

1971 – Passage of the Clean Water Act, which allows citizens to sue polluters directly

1978 – Removal of ozone depleting CFCs from aerosol cans

1980 - Winning federal protection for one hundred million acres of Alaskan lands

1984 - Compelling the Department of Energy to comply with environmental laws at all of their nuclear weapons facilities

1985 - Adoption of national efficiency standards for consumer appliances, saving billions of dollars in electrical bills

1987 – Achieving an International Treaty to save the ozone layer

1993 - Forcing two oil giants, ARCO and Texaco, to cease water pollution and pay stiff fines for past violations

1994 - Saving eastern North America's largest untouched wilderness by helping the Cree defeat the James Bay hydro-electric project

1999 - Winning commitments from more than 200 companies to help save temperate rainforests by phasing out their use and sale of old-growth wood products

2000 - Forcing the Mitsubishi Corporation to abandon its plan to construct a massive salt factory next to the last unspoiled breeding ground of the gray whale

2001 - Securing an agreement to protect millions of acres of the Great Bear Rainforest -- home of the rare white Spirit Bear -- from logging

2003 - Stopping the worldwide deployment of a Navy sonar system that would have blasted oceans with noise so intense it could maim, deafen and kill whales

2005 - Staving off the Bush administration's attempts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling

2006 - Persuading the Bush administration to propose protecting the polar bear from the ravages of global warming

NRDC.org
http://www.nrdc.org/

BioGems: Save Endangered Wild Places
http://www.savebiogems.org/

Polar Bear SOS
http://www.polarbearsos.org/

Beat the Heat: Fight Global Warming One Person at a Time
http://beattheheat.nrdc.org/ 

Onda Verde: Nuestro Planeta, Nuestro Futuro
http://www.nrdc.org/ondaverde/ 

OnEarth Magazine
http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/ 

Green Day + NRDC
http://www.greendaynrdc.com/ 

The Green Squad: Kids Taking Action for Greener, Healthier Schools
http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/