The earliest work of EDF scientists led to the dramatic resurgence of America’s national symbol, the bald eagle, which recovered from the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states — from a few hundred nesting pairs to hundreds of thousands of birds today — enabling the bald eagle to fly off the endangered list.
Soon after, we began our work to protect children from lead and mercury pollution, including by speeding the removal of lead from gasoline, which had been one of the greatest causes of childhood lead poisoning.
EDF’s partnerships with leading companies — from FedEx to McDonald’s to Walmart — have saved companies and consumers money, reduced packaging and other waste, accelerated innovation and made everyday products safer for families.
EDF economists helped the first Bush administration develop measures that saved hundreds of thousands of lives by giving power plant owners the flexibility to use lower-sulfur coal and other ways to clean the air. This 1990 legislation won broad bipartisan support, met the growing demand for electricity and delivered a return on investment of more than 30 to 1. President Bush commended EDF for “bringing creativity to the table to end what could have been a hopeless stalemate.”
Delivering the practical answers we all need today
Innovation, efficiency and common sense continue to be EDF watchwords in the 21st century as we’ve developed solutions for a wide range of challenges.
Solutions for business
Value creation
We teamed up with KKR and The Carlyle Group to make measuring, managing and improving environmental performance a core part of value creation across the private equity industry.
Pollution reduction
We brought together BP, ExxonMobil, Shell and dozens of other companies in an agreement to reduce some of the most harmful pollution from oil and gas production by as much as 90%.
Gas well capping
We helped create programs for oil and gas workers to safely cap and seal wells no longer in production that had been leaking pollution.
Scientists in action
Health risk detection
We pioneered new technology for high-resolution health risk detection and analysis at the neighborhood level, using Google Street View cars in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente.
Chemical safety
We advised policymakers on the Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which was signed into law with strong bipartisan support.
Oil and gas research
EDF scientists organized one of the largest oil and gas research partnerships in history with major U.S. oil and gas companies to help locate, measure and repair wasteful leaks of natural gas.
Helping people and nature thrive
Land conservation
We partnered with ranchers, farmers and other landowners to enable innovative conservation actions on more than 5 million acres of working lands.
Commercial fishing
We worked with policymakers, grocery stores and commercial fishing groups to restore profitable fishing in coastal Texas and Louisiana after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, with restoration measures backed by large bipartisan margins in the U.S. House and Senate.
Riverside restoration
We supported the Louisiana state legislature as it overwhelmingly voted to restore eroded land along the Mississippi River that had been lost over many decades.
Improving food supplies
Dairy product sustainability
We partnered with Danone, General Mills, Kraft Heinz and other major food companies to increase sustainability of dairy products.
Fertilizer efficiency
We worked with farmers and agribusiness to improve fertilizer efficiency — reducing costs and improving ecosystems — and to develop new approaches to farm insurance.
Agricultural water use
We developed satellite-based analysis of agricultural water use, making data available to Western farmers to better manage crops, in partnership with the Desert Research Institute, NASA and others.
Practical solutions that are good for people and business today and provide a healthy future for our kids: That’s what EDF means by Finding the Ways that Work.
By the numbers
Together, we’re creating practical solutions.
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Years of driving nonpartisan progress
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Members and supporters
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Scientists, economists, policy specialists and more
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Corporate partners
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