Friends of the Earth records, 1959-1988., 1959-1988, bulk 1969-1985

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Summary

Creators:
Friends of the Earth
Abstract:
These records include documentation of domestic and international conservation campaigns from the origins of the Friends of the Earth organization in 1969 through the late 1980s. The collection contains significant documentation on legislation and elections related to numerous conservation issues including national parks and forests, land use and planning, energy resources, water and air pollution, toxic pollutants and hazardous waste, water quality, California State Water Plan and California State Water Project, coastal issues, TransAlaska Pipeline, Arctic oil drilling, oil spills, off-shore oil drilling and oil leases in California and along the California coast, bowhead whales and sustenance whale hunting in Alaska, the Endangered Species Act, condors, Supersonic Transport.
Extent:
67.5 linear feet (53 cartons, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Friends of the Earth records, BANC MSS 82/98, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

These records include documentation of domestic and international conservation campaigns from the origins of the Friends of the Earth organization in 1969 through the late 1980s. The collection contains significant documentation on legislation and elections related to numerous conservation issues including national parks and forests, land use and planning, energy resources including nuclear power, water and air pollution, toxic pollutants and hazardous waste, water quality, California State Water Plan and California State Water Project, coastal issues, TransAlaska Pipeline, Arctic oil drilling, oil spills, off-shore oil drilling and oil leases in California and along the California coast, bowhead whales and sustenance whale hunting in Alaska, the Endangered Species Act, condors, Supersonic Transport. Several F.O.E. publications, such as their Not Man Apart journal, essays, reports and books on conservation subjects are documented in this collection. Also includes administrative documentation, trips and excursions planned by F.O.E., and regional and international F.O.E. member group files. Types of materials in the files include correspondence, memos, reports, environmental impact statements, testimony, press releases, newsletters, advertisements, brochures, flyers and other publications, legal documents, subject files, manuscript drafts and news clippings.

Biographical / historical:

Friends of the Earth was founded by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie in San Francisco and incorporated on July 11, 1969 in New York City. F.O.E.’s U.S. headquarters are now in Washington, D.C. with an office in Berkeley. In the spring of 1969, Brower had resigned his leadership role as executive director of the Sierra Club and sought to form several new conservation groups in the wake of his departure. Brower was also involved in establishing the League of Conservation Voters and the John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies at this time.

F.O.E. was established as a non tax-deductible non-profit membership organization focused on legislative and political action. Since 1971, they have been comprised of an international network of F.O.E. groups now based in over 70 countries. Each international group is organized under the laws of its own country and works toward the common objective of advancing the preservation, restoration and rational use of the Earth. In 1972, F.O.E. participated in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, publishing the ECO newspaper for distribution to attendees. F.O.E. has published the “Not Man Apart” journal, various ecological reports and books on conservation issues.

Successful campaigns of F.O.E. include advocating and lobbying for the passage of pollution prevention regulations and policies, to protect wilderness and wildlife and to conserve natural resources. Some of the most prominent environmental campaigns of F.O.E. in the 21st century include advocating for biodiversity, sustainability and environmental justice in economic policies of global corporations, governments and the World Bank, and against the environmental impact of climate change, nuclear power, toxic emissions and pollutants, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Acquisition information:
The Friends of the Earth records were donated to the Bancroft Library between 1982-1988.
Processing information:

Arranged to the folder level.

Processed by Lisa Marie Monhoff in 2019 with the generous support of a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Names:
Friends of the Earth

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Friends of the Earth records, BANC MSS 82/98, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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