Environmentalism, Then and Now

The first Earth Day -- April 22, 1970 -- is often cited as the date that best marks the birth of the modern environmental movement. NRDC got its start that year, too, and from the beginning was instrumental in turning the political will that arose out of that first Earth Day into landmark environmental protections such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

More than three decades later, we're still fighting the good fight. But the world has changed dramatically in that time. And environmentalists have changed with it -- NRDC has adapted, evolved and grown to keep pace.

How has the face of environmentalism changed over the past three decades? We asked a group of NRDC staffers to reflect back on their career choices, their early days at NRDC, and the ways in which their work has changed.

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