Partnership for the Earth Campaign

Josie Merck has worked closely with NRDC for nearly two decades. In 2000, she created an environmental policy fellowship and collaborated with NRDC's energy team to develop several green building and sustainable energy projects, including the new visual arts building at Sarah Lawrence College. Josie serves as a trustee on the board of the Merck Family Fund -- a 50-year-old charitable foundation that provides grants to numerous environmental and urban programs. She is also the founder of the Ocean View Foundation, which fosters environmental education on Block Island, R.I. A painter, Josie received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MFA from the Yale School of Art. She lives in Cos Cob, Conn., with her husband.

Josie's dedication to the Partnership for the Earth Campaign stems from her "wholehearted belief in the staff and leadership at NRDC." She is particularly interested in NRDC's "total commitment" to combat the daunting threat of global warming, and she is encouraged by its efforts to transform public policy in the areas of waste management, watershed protection, toxic e-waste disposal and energy efficiency. She calls NRDC's dedication to the environment "truly inspiring."