Environmental movement in the Un-
ited States
1970s US postage stamp block
In the United States today, the organized en-
vironmental movement is represented by a
wide range of organizations sometimes called
non-governmental organizations or NGOs.
These organizations exist on local, national,
and
international
scales.
Environmental
NGOs vary widely in political views and in
the amount they seek to influence the envir-
onmental policy of the United States and oth-
er governments. The environmental move-
ment today consists of both large national
groups and also many smaller local groups
with local concerns. Some resemble the old
U.S. conservation movement - whose modern
expression is the Nature Conservancy, Audu-
bon Society and National Geographic Society
- American organizations with a worldwide
influence.
See also: Environmental issues in the United
States
Scope of the movement
The largest and most influential environment-
al organizations in the United States, accord-
ing to Andrew Rowell are the so called Group
of Ten: Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental
Defense Fund, National Audubon Society,
National Wildlife Federation, Natural Re-
sources Defense Council, Friends of the
Earth, Izaak Walton League, Sierra Club, The
Wilderness Society and the World Wide Fund
for Nature[1]
• The early Conservation movement, which
began in the late 1800s, included fisheries
and wildlife management, water, soil
conservation and sustainable forestry.
Today it includes sustainable yield of
natural resources, preservation of
wilderness areas and biodiversity
• The modern Environmental movement,
which began in the 1960s with concern
about air and water pollution, became
broader in scope to including all
landscapes and human activities. See List
of environmental issues.
• Environmental health movement dating at
least to Progressive Era urban reforms
including clean water supply, more
efficient removal of raw sewage and
reduction in crowded and unsanitary
living conditions. Today Environmental
health is more related to nutrition,
pr