Edf Social Change the Environmental

EDF Social Change

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as a Driver of Social and Political Change

The environmental movement is historically imposed upon the challenge of reconciling the need for greater conservation, sustainability and protection of resources with the thrust for greater industrial development, profitability and consumption. Thus, there is a distinct value in the formation of agencies or organizations with the objective of improving environmental regulations through compromise between these competing interests. This is the premise underlying the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which was established in 1967 as a way of bringing constructive moderation to the environmental movement.

Effectiveness in Social and Political Change:

More so than many of the environmentally conscious groups that were formed during the burst of conservationist activities in the 1960s, the EDF would be distinguished by the practicality of its objectives. According to the EDF, its primary mission revolves on the achievement of market driven changes that can bring about environmental improvements. As a result, its effectiveness in achieving political change is uniquely effective. Because it proposes inherent compromise in furthering the challenges inherent to sustainability, its orientation is considered far more amicable to businesses and government groups considering meaningful partnerships with moderate and respectable groups. Thus, as the EDF reports of its approach to change, "our solutions take a multidisciplinary approach. We work in concert with other organizations -- as well as with business, government and communities -- and avoid duplicating work already being done effectively by others" (EDF, p. 1)

Its willingness to work closely with members of industry to find solutions that work for all parties has made EDF a successful instigator of progressive change not just by inclining legislative change but also by finding ways to involve corporate players that might otherwise stand as political and ideological enemies. As its own history details, the EDF would be central in advancing approaches to environmental change that are today considered standard. Among them would be partnership with legal teams, economists and corporations in the achievement of their various objectives relating to the use of pesticides, industrial emission standards, regulatory oversight of polluters and efforts aimed at reducing the rapid pace of global climate change. Accordingly, the EDF reports that from the early outset, the agency "began hiring economists, which led to our international prominence in designing market-based solutions. In the 1990s, we pioneered corporate partnerships and some of the first interactive uses of online communications." (EDF, p. 3)

In these regards, the EDF has remained at the forefront of changes not just in environmental law but in how the pursuit of these changes is implemented. The result has been a particular effectiveness not just in establishing political partnerships but also in channeling these partnerships toward meaningful social change. The article by B.F. (1979) would underscore this innovative position in the field by endorsing the view that changes in market tactics should be central to bringing about changes in environmental practice. On this point, B.F. argues that "a reduced rate of energy consumption need not mean a no-growth economy, according to a recent report of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). . . With a 'determined effort,' the United States could increase its economic growth by from 60 to 90% while increasing energy use by only 10 to 15%." (B.F., p. 21)

This demonstrates the progressive implications of an approach to environmental improvements that gives businesses a primary role in pushing for change. Another area of change brought on by the assistance of the EDF is that which now more explicitly connects environmental degradation with certain social and demographic factors. The creation of its Scorecard Website in 2001 would bring a new dimension to the social discourse on environmental issues. According to Dooley (2001), with this new scorecard in place, "on the main Environmental Justice page, entering a ZIP code generates a report of the varying degrees of environmental burden within that area for different racial, ethnic, and income groups. The burdens include releases of toxic chemicals, cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants, and facilities emitting criteria air pollutants." (Dooley, p. 367)

Other recent decisions also reflect the degree of success that the EDF has had in moving governments forward on specific issues. So is this reflected in the text by Zimmerman (1995), which reports on a decision in the case of City of Chicago v EDF (114 S. Ct. 1588) in 1994, which brought regulatory control over the ash emitted by the incineration of municipal waste. The result of the decision instigated by the involvement of the EDF would be the dictate that the city would thereafter have to dispose of said ash waste in special containment units to prevent the penetration of the local environment with cadmium and lead. (Zimmerman, p. 1)

Origins and Preconditions:

Forcing the hand of government to act in order to effect positive environmental change is consistent with the early inception of the organization. In fact, its statement of Mission includes a concise history which details the groups beginnings as a team of scientists dedicated to bringing restriction to the use of DDT in agricultural operations. The mosquito control substance, EDF reports, was proven responsible for significantly reducing raptor populations and placing ospreys and American bald eagles on the endangered species list. After DDT-producing companies refused to cease the distribution of this substance, the group of scientists engaged the proper legal channels with the enlistment of a lawyer and brought about litigation that would force a banning of the substance.