It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of our dear friend and colleague Al Meyerhoff.
A leader in NRDC's San Francisco office from 1981 to 1998, Al was a potent force for NRDC and the environment. He was an aggressive litigator, fighting against exposure to toxic chemicals and for improved health -- for all of us, but with particular focus on those working on farms and in factories, people living in poverty, all who needed the public interest bar to represent them against the pesticide and chemical industry. Al was a great champion of California's Prop 65, using it relentlessly to go after chemical industry abuses.
Al was not only a great litigator, he was an immensely effective communicator and writer, penning off op-eds a mile a minute. He championed our outreach beyond the environmental community to labor and health organizations, to Hollywood, to those involved in progressive politics. While at NRDC, he testified before Congress more than 50 times.
He was more than hugely accomplished, he was also great fun. He was irreverent, funny and always ready to have a good time. He regaled us with stories, challenged us with new strategies, identified people we should get to know and work with. At a dinner he hosted last winter in Los Angeles, Al spoke with such passion and pride about all that NRDC does.
Al represented the very best of NRDC. I will really miss him. We all will.