| GOVERNING BODY AND MANAGEMENT |
Part VI, Line 1B - The NRDC Board of Trustees is comprised of 37 independent voting Board Members. Board of Trustees member John Adams is not independent by virtue of receiving compensation from the organization. Board of Trustees Member Wendy Neu is not independent because of the relationship disclosed on Schedule L of the Form 990. Part VI, LINE 2 - Board of Trustees Members, Frederick A.O. Schwarz, Jr. and Frederica Perera, have a family relationship. Board of Trustees Member, Sarah Cogan and officers Maripat Alpuche and Lauren Colasacco, have a business relationship. Board of Trustees Members, Wendy Neu, Josie Merck and Jonathan Rose have a business relationship. Board of Trustees members, Eric Wepsic and Max Stone, have a business relationship. Board of Trustees members, Jonathan Rose and Shelly Malkin, have a business relationship. Form 990, Part VI, Line 3 Chief Financial Officer, Steve Baginski, served as NRDC's interim Chief Financial Officer from April 27th, 2015 through December 21st, 2015. During that time, Mr. Baginski was the employee of an external third party consulting firm and NRDC paid that third party for Mr. Baginski's services. Steve Baginski was hired as NRDC's full-time Chief Financial Officer on December 22nd, 2015 and he received his compensation from NRDC from that date. No compensation is reported for Mr. Baginski on Part VII as he was not employed during calendar year 2014; his compensation information will be disclosed on NRDC's subsequent Form 990. Form 990, Part VI, Lines 7a & B Line 7A - NRDC's members are entitled, as part of their membership, to elect individuals to the NRDC Board of Trustees. Line 7B - The NRDC Board of Trustees acts autonomously. Nevertheless, NRDC's members have certain approval rights pursuant to the New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, including, approval over any amendments to NRDC's certificate of incorporation. |
| 990 REVIEW PROCESS |
Form 990, part VI, section B, Line 11 The Form 990 was prepared by a nationally recognized accounting firm in conjunction with the organization's senior management and audit committee of the Board of Trustees. A copy of the Draft Form 990 was presented to the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees for discussion and comment. Once the Audit Committee approved the Form 990 for filing, a copy was circulated to the full Board of Trustees for their review. Each Board Member was provided opportunity to comment on the information contained in the Form 990 prior to its filing with the Internal Revenue Service. conflict of interest policy enforcement and monitoring form 990, part VI, Section B, LINE 12 Each officer, trustee and key employee of the organization is required to annually disclose any conflicts of interest that arise by virtue of employment, board service, or position with the organization. The organization monitors compliance with its conflict of interest policy through an annual questionnaire/disclosure statement that is distributed to these individuals. Potential conflicts are investigated immediately. Process for determining compensation form 990, part VI, section B, LINE 15a & 15b The organization undertakes a thorough process to ensure that the executive compensation it pays to its top management official and all of its officers and key employees is reasonable, given the market in which the organization operates. In relevant part, the Board of Trustees has established a Compensation Committee of independent persons that have no personal interest in the proposed compensation. The Compensation committee contracts with a compensation consultant to complete a market assessment and competitive position analysis for the organization's top executives. The compensation consultant utilizes comparability and benchmarking surveys to ensure that the organization compensates its executives commensurate with the market. Based on its review of the analyses provided by the compensation consultant and other relevant information, the compensation committee makes recommendations to the executive committee of the board of trustees. Compensation decisions and reports are contemporaneously documented in the minutes of the meeting of the executive committee at which such decisions are made. |
| DISCLOSURE |
FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 The organization makes its Form 990 available to the public by retaining a copy at its place of business. The Form 990 and audited financial statements are likewise published on NRDC's website at www.nrdc.org. The organization's governing documents and conflict of interest policy may be provided at management's discretion, if requested. Form 990, Part XI Reconciliation of Net Assets Other Changes in Net Assets or Fund Balances Change in Value of Interest Rate Swap Agreements ($260,844) Change in Value of Split-Interest Agreements ($502,290) Pension related activity other than net periodic expense ($2,662,892) Other ($2,314) -------------- Total Other Changes in Net Assets ($3,428,340) |
| program service Accomplishments |
part III, line 4 The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is the most effective and influential environmental organization in the United States and around the world. Combining the grassroots power of more than 2 million members and online activists with courtroom clout, issue advocacy, and the expertise of more than 500 scientists, advocates, lawyers and other professionals, we fight the fights that are too important to lose. NRDC's priorities are: - Curbing global warming and creating a clean energy future $50,448,766 - Reviving the world's oceans $9,652,677 - Defending endangered wildlife and wild places $16,053,683 - Protecting public health by preventing pollution $10,809,367 - Ensuring safe and sufficient water $7,556,120 - Fostering sustainable communities $11,523,782 NRDC transforms markets and changes laws at the federal and state levels. We collaborate with businesses, elected leaders, and community groups and challenge those who poison our people or lands. Over the past year, we successfully helped shape action by the federal government, state and local governments, and governments and corporations in other countries to reduce energy, water, and waste; accelerate clean energy and transportation solutions; improve industrial practices and redirect innovation toward cleaner processes; and foster smarter protections of our natural resources. |
| Curbing Climate Change and Creating a Clean Energy Future |
The climate movement made a major leap forward as public support and political will converged in a global push for climate action. To avert the most devastating effects of climate change, NRDC is focused on helping to deliver an 80 percent reduction in U.S. carbon pollution from 1990 levels by 2050. We helped to advance national limits on carbon pollution, pushed for policies and tools that scale up clean energy and efficiency, waged and won campaigns to block reckless oil and gas projects, and helped communities build their resilience to the impacts of climate change. Leading up to the 2015 climate conference in Paris, we helped lay the groundwork for historic commitments from the U.S. and China to slash their carbon pollution, sending a strong message that climate change can be addressed at the international level and spurring action around the world. Other climate and energy milestones included: - Following years of tireless advocacy by NRDC and our allies, President Obama officially rejected the proposal for the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, citing our nation's obligation to be a leader when it comes to climate action. The long, hard-won battle was a monumental victory and one of the most contentious environmental fights in U.S. history. This win was possible thanks to the dedication of an unlikely grassroots coalition, from conservative ranchers in Nebraska to First Nations communities in Canada, and from student activists to climate advocates at NRDC and our partner organizations. - NRDC joined a broad coalition of states, clean energy companies and other environmental organizations to defend the Clean Power Plan against attack by the coal industry and its political allies. Inspired by a groundbreaking NRDC strategy, the Clean Power Plan, finalized in August 2015, sets the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. - NRDC worked for over a year with more than 20 leading Chinese stakeholders, including government think tanks, research institutes, and industry associations, to develop a comprehensive roadmap and policy package for setting a national cap on coal consumption. Our goal is the establishment and implementation of a binding cap by 2020 at a level that will achieve China's long-term economic, environmental and climate goals. - With support from NRDC, the city of Shanghai launched China's first city-scale "demand response" pilot, a voluntary program where participants reduce their electricity use in response to signals from the utility during periods of high energy demand, in the summer of 2014. As a result of Shanghai's successful demonstration, China's central government directed four other cities to implement similar programs in 2015. We will continue to help China scale up and use flexible demand side resources such as demand response to improve the power grid's operation efficiency and capacity to integrate more renewable energy. - NRDC has been working for years to ensure that science, not industry, guides state decisions on fracking. Our efforts have paid off on several fronts. In June 2015, for example, New York State officially banned fracking due to public health, environmental and community risks. NRDC will continue to advocate for citizens' rights to prevent this harmful practice around the country, as well as expand our "legal defense" role in helping communities minimize the impacts of pipelines, compressor stations and other forms of fossil fuel infrastructure. - Following years of advocacy by NRDC, the Obama administration proposed fuel-efficiency and carbon pollution standards for heavy trucks that will cut fuel bills, curb carbon pollution and spur manufacturing innovation. The new standards had been over a year in the making and will not fully take effect until 2027, providing truck makers more than a decade of lead time to fully comply. We will be pushing the administration to require compliance sooner with the aim of delivering these benefits more quickly and helping to secure the strongest possible fuel efficiency and carbon pollution standards when the rule is finalized in 2016. - As average temperatures have increased over the past decade, climate scientists are predicting the advent of more frequent and severe heat waves. In response, the city of Ahmedabad, in western India, expanded South Asia's first-ever early warning system and preparedness plan with the release of the 2015 Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan. The innovative emergency preparedness plan was created by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in 2013 in partnership with an international coalition of health and academic groups, including NRDC, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, and key partners. The action plan has helped reduce the deadly impact of extreme heat by initiating an early warning system for residents, providing preparation and training to medical and community workers, building public awareness of heat-related health risks, and coordinating inter-agency emergency response efforts when heat waves hit. - "Bridging the Energy Divide," an NRDC report, found that while climate change threatens the public health and economic well-being of everyone, low-income Americans are especially vulnerable to the extreme weather and dramatic increases in electricity costs associated with global warming. The report also demonstrated that investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency can address many of the challenges associated with carbon pollution reduction and provide major benefits to low- and fixed-income individuals who often live in the most toxic areas with few means to mitigate problems like air pollution, extreme temperatures and natural disasters. - One-in-three Americans lives in the "sneeziest and wheeziest" cities and regions where they are exposed to both ragweed pollen and ozone smog pollution that can worsen respiratory allergies and asthma, according to an NRDC report. As a consequence, these 109 million Americans, living mainly in cities from Richmond, VA, to Atlanta, Philadelphia to Chicago, Oklahoma City to Phoenix and Los Angeles, are more likely to suffer itchy eyes, runny noses and sneezing, and may find it hard to breathe. And they become more ill than those exposed to only ragweed or ozone pollution. The report was among the first to map the intersection of ragweed prevalence and high ozone smog, which can magnify respiratory allergies and asthma, and carried a dire warning for policymakers and the nation's leaders: As climate change warms our planet, millions more Americans could become ill with potentially severe respiratory allergies and asthma. |
| Reviving the World's Oceans |
Oceans help feed the world, provide a living for multitudes, and sustain most of the life on the globe. NRDC is working to protect and restore our seas from rampant exploitation. We've worked for decades to spotlight what's happening below the surface, strengthen laws that allow overfished species to rebound and to advocate for the protection of coastal communities from offshore drilling. From the United Nations to fishing councils, we negotiate international agreements that ban destructive fishing practices and help manage the world's shared oceans, which generate trillions of dollars in economic activity. NRDC made important progress this year on several key fronts: - In a major victory for ocean protection, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted to protect 27 named deep sea canyons as well as a vast swath of surrounding deep sea habitat, off the region's coast. These areas, which can plunge as deep as the Grand Canyon, are home to rare, ecologically-important and highly vulnerable coldwater coral communities as well as a range of other remarkable sea life. At approximately 38,000 square miles, this is the largest ocean area in the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico protected from destructive bottom fishing. NRDC worked with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and other stakeholders over three years to develop the landmark protection plan, the most sweeping move yet to safeguard ocean habitat off our most populous coastline. - The first nationwide vulnerability assessment for ocean acidification, published in Nature Climate Change, showed that coastal communities in 15 states that depend on the nation's approximately $1 billion shelled mollusk (e.g., oysters and clams) industry are at long-term economic risk from ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is the result of oceans absorbing the growing amounts of carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels. Newly-identified communities at risk reside everywhere from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay to the Louisiana bayou. The research study, co-authored by scientists at NRDC, UC Davis, Ocean Conservancy, and Duke University, and collaborators from nine additional institutions, integrated physical, economic and social data into an assessment of various regions' overall vulnerability to ocean acidification. - The oceans beyond national jurisdiction, known as the high seas, cover nearly half the planet's surface and contain perhaps the largest reservoir of undisturbed biodiversity left on earth. Less than 0.3 percent of the high sea is protected and there are no uniform requirements for assessing the cumulative impacts of industrial activities. In January 2015, with the encouragement of a small but dedicated handful of ocean conservation experts including NRDC, countries agreed to begin negotiating a new international instrument for the conservation and management of high seas biodiversity. - Oil drilling, toxic runoff, and plastic trash threaten the oceans more than ever before. At the urging of NRDC and our partners, President Obama agreed to expand the Pacific Remote Islands National Marine Monument, southwest of Hawaii, putting under protection large new areas of ocean with some of the richest and most diverse sea life on the planet, including rare species of whales, 5,000-year-old corals and hundreds of sea mounts brimming with life. |
| Defending Endangered Wildlife and Wild Places |
NRDC protects wildlife and unspoiled lands from the threats of industrial development, commercial exploitation, pollution, and climate change. We partner with ranchers, farmers, energy companies, and the government to promote solutions that help wild predators coexist with livestock and people. We push for international agreements that shield polar bears, elephants, rhinos, and other animals from being killed for trade. And we fight to keep reckless oil and gas drilling out of wild areas, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Several long-term efforts came to fruition this year with the protection of some of the world's most fragile, precious and contentiously fought-over wild places: - Thanks in part to messages from NRDC supporters, in November, the U.S. Forest Service prohibited oil and gas development, including extensive protection from dangerous fracking, in the vast majority of George Washington National Forest in Virginia and W. Virginia, the source of drinking water for more than 4 million people. In December 2014, Governor Cuomo announced a ban on fracking in New York State, a huge step forward in our fight to rein in this dangerous practice that threatens our environment, health and communities. - A federal court sided with NRDC and our partners and ruled that the Fish and Wildlife Service violated the law in 2012 when it stripped Wyoming's wolves of their endangered species protections, restoring those protections to all wolves in Wyoming. - Following decades of advocacy by NRDC and our partners, President Obama recommended to Congress that it designate the 1.5 million acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as official wilderness, protecting caribou, polar bears and other marine life and the Alaska native communities that depend on it. - With more than 100,000 African elephants killed by poachers between 2010 and 2012, the African forest elephant could become extinct within a decade. In August 2014, NRDC pushed two of the largest U.S. ivory markets, New York and New Jersey, to ban ivory sales and establish harsher penalties for traffickers. Six months later, China banned the import of African ivory crafts for a year, an important first step. - With our partners, NRDC took the U.S. Navy to court over its high-intensity sonar exercises and underwater detonations off the coasts of Southern California and Hawaii, which were harming the well-being of more than 60 whale, dolphin, seal, and sea lion populations. In March 2015, a district court ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated multiple requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act when agreeing to the navy's plan, leading to a first-of-its-kind settlement establishing protections for important habitat, as well as the management of timing and siting of tests that put sensitive populations at risk. - North America's annual monarch migration is in jeopardy as dangerous pesticides kill off milkweed, which is essential to the butterfly's life cycle. In response, NRDC partnered with the Illinois Tollway to plant milkweed along 286 miles of roads, a key stretch of this pollinator's migration path. We're also fighting for stronger federal regulations on milkweed-killing pesticides, and in June 2015, we helped persuade the World Heritage Committee to examine the plight of the monarch migration, a critically important process for securing international protections. - Siding with NRDC and our partners, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals fully upheld Endangered Species Protections for endangered and threatened salmon and steelhead in California. The decision, which confirmed that these protections are based on the best available science and comply with the law, was a key victory for some of California's most endangered fish and the many fishermen who rely on salmon for their livelihoods. - After a decade of pressure from NRDC and community organizations, the White House made national monuments of California's San Gabriel Mountains and New Mexico's Organ Mountains, which together encompass more than 800,000 acres of historical landmarks and abundant wildlife. NRDC remains committed to safeguarding our natural treasures, seeking similar protections for the Greater Canyonlands and the Arctic. |
| Protecting Human Health by Preventing Pollution |
Getting rid of toxic chemicals in our environment - in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the products we buy - can help protect the health of millions of people. When public agencies fail to protect consumers, workers, and children from dangerous chemicals, NRDC takes them to court. We pushed for EPA reforms that took millions of pounds of the most harmful pesticides off the market. And we team up with local communities to eliminate health dangers in their homes. Here are some key milestones from the year: - NRDC's Clean By Design project aims to stem the tide of dangerous pollution from the textile industry and create a global model for manufacturing sustainability. An NRDC analysis showed that Clean By Design has enabled more than 30 Chinese textile mills, many of which create clothing for major high-volume apparel brands and retailers including Target, Gap Inc., Levi Strauss and Company and H&M, to save $14.7 million annually by adopting simple efficiency measures in their production processes. These improvements have slashed the pollution generated by these mills, cutting up to 36 percent of water use and 22 percent of energy use per mill and a total of at least 400 tons of chemicals. - A staggering 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the United States are administered to livestock and poultry-usually healthy animals. Such rampant overuse is a serious risk to public health, rendering the medicine less effective for treating people. Thanks to NRDC's mounting pressure and a push to educate consumers and policymakers, the industry is changing for the better: Fast-food giant McDonald's, along with poultry giants like Perdue Farms, Tyson, and Chick-fil-A, have all announced antibiotics-reduction initiatives. - Under pressure from an NRDC lawsuit, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medical antibacterial products, including hand washes and sanitizers. The agency proposed a rule calling on manufacturers to submit additional safety- and efficacy-related data about such products. NRDC will keep up the pressure on the FDA to ensure that antibacterial products and hand cleansers used in any setting are safe and effective or are no longer used. - An NRDC report found that Latin American countries could save tens of thousands of lives and help millions of people suffer fewer respiratory illnesses by tackling the world's second most dangerous climate pollutant, known as black carbon. Countries across Latin America can significantly cut black carbon emissions by pursuing cleaner fuels, setting new lower vehicle emissions standards and providing financial incentives to retire the oldest, dirtiest vehicles. The chief source of these black carbon emissions is diesel fueled vehicles, whose numbers are rising on Latin American roadways. - China's largely unregulated ports and shipping system generates significant air pollution that imposes a huge health and environmental burden each year. The country is now home to seven of the globe's top 10 busiest ports and does not require that container ships meet the same air quality standards administered by many other ports around the world. A new NRDC analysis outlined near- and long-term pollution reduction strategies to address the human health toll of China's shipping emissions. - To help reduce the rampant pollution in China that travels beyond national borders, NRDC worked on strengthening China's environmental law and enforcement. China's amended Environmental Protection Law, which took effect in January 2015, allows qualified domestic nonprofits to pursue litigation against polluters for the first time, encourages wider public participation and information disclosure, and greatly increases the penalties on pollution violations. NRDC actively promoted these important measures and provided crucial expertise to our partners. - NRDC joined forces with a coalition of leading health groups to file a petition urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban eight carcinogenic flavorings in food. The flavorings, which may be found in ice cream, baked goods, candy and beverages, are known to cause cancer in lab animals. The agency knows little about the human health risk posed by the eight additives because the FDA and the public do not know which of the flavorings are added to what food items, or in what amounts, making it impossible for informed consumers to protect themselves from potentially harmful chemicals. |
| Ensuring Safe and Sufficient Water |
Water is one of the most critical natural resources when it comes to sustaining our communities, economies, and health. NRDC fights for a clean, safe, and sufficient water supply. We push the federal government to strengthen protections for drinking water, and we find ways for cities to keep pollution out of rivers and lakes. Our work also helps homes, buildings, farms, and power plants use water as efficiently as possible, so that there's plenty for all of us and for future generations. - The Obama Administration issued the Clean Water Rule, which restores safeguards to nearly 2 million miles of headwaters and streams and tens of millions of acres of wetlands, helping protect drinking water sources for 1 in 3 Americans, safeguard habitat for wildlife, and secure the places where we fish, kayak and swim with our families. More than 800,000 NRDC supporters and other activists sent messages in support of the rule. We are now redoubling our legal efforts to defend the new Clean Water rule against developers and big polluters, and their allies in Congress, who want to overturn it. - Following years of advocacy from NRDC and others, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed long overdue standards to protect Western ground water from the dangerous pollution associated with uranium mining. For the first time, the proposed rules set standards for a process known as in situ leach mining, which injects fluids underground to dissolve uranium deposits in western aquifers. This results in significant pollution of those aquifers by uranium and heavy metals. Moving forward, NRDC will push to clarify and strengthen the standards. - As California grappled with its fourth consecutive year of drought, NRDC played a key role in boosting the state's water resilience. In May 2015, a month after California Governor Jerry Brown announced his statewide drought directive to reduce urban water use by 25 percent, the State Water Resources Control Board finalized regulations to implement those water reductions across the state-the first time in the state's history that the Board has implemented mandatory statewide water use reductions. By reducing water usage by 25 percent in cities and towns across California, the state was expected to save approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water over nine months. NRDC made recommendations to the Board about what should be included in the emergency regulations and worked with Board members and staff to improve the measures. - At the urging of NRDC, the California Energy Commission took emergency action to ensure that toilets, urinals, and faucets sold in California will be the most water-efficient in the country. The new standards are expected to reduce California water use by more than 100 billion gallons of water annually; this is three times the amount of water used by the City of San Francisco every year. In addition, the standards are expected to save a significant amount of energy by cutting hot water waste from faucets and also reducing the amount of electricity required to pump and treat water. - In a related effort to help ease California's water crisis, NRDC and its coalition partners from across the environmental, fishing and public policy sectors released a comprehensive set of recommendations for near-term action by local, state, and federal agencies and lawmakers. The coalition's recommendations call for action in a broad range of areas, including: expanding drought-resistant water sources, such as water efficiency, water recycling and stormwater management; improving smart water storage; investing in natural infrastructure and healthy ecosystems; and spending public funds wisely. Together, these recommendations can tap into the enormous potential to develop millions of acre-feet of new water for California. - In November 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1, a new $7.5 billion water bond that will provide clean drinking water to disadvantaged communities and fund critical investments in regional water supply solutions that are the future of California water management. NRDC fought to ensure that legislators crafted a bond that was good for California's environment and economy. Prop 1 provides $2.4 billion in funding for regional water projects such as water conservation, water recycling, stormwater capture, agricultural and urban water use efficiency, and groundwater cleanup. It also makes major investments in improving the health of our rivers, coastal estuaries and wildlife, with nearly $1.5 billion for watershed restoration projects around the state. We now are working to make sure this money is spent in the most effective and responsible ways possible, consistent with voter intent. |
| Fostering Sustainable Communities |
More than 80 percent of Americans live in cities and nearby suburbs, and this number is growing rapidly. As our cities grow, NRDC works to make sure they become healthier, more sustainable places to live. Our lawyers go to court on behalf of communities seeking to defend themselves from polluters. We partner with communities to increase energy efficiency in their buildings and expand access to clean energy solutions and healthier food. And we help empower communities to find solutions that work-then take the best ideas nationwide. - In a big win for residents of Chicago's Southeast Side, the KCBX company, which was storing and handling petcoke-a dusty byproduct of oil refining-at two sites along the Calumet River, announced that it would close one site and remove piles from the other. And BP, whose refinery in nearby Whiting, Indiana, is a main source of petcoke being piled in Chicago, announced they would cease storing the polluting material in Illinois. NRDC, working closely with neighborhood community groups, conducted an integrated legal, policy, legislative and media push to force new regulations and apply pressure on the industry to remove the petcoke piles. - Through partnerships in 12 states with 40 housing, environmental and community-based organizations, the Energy Efficiency For All (EEFA) project has helped secure $54 million in new utility funding for efficiency programs that benefit low-income families. EEFA, a partnership between NRDC, National Housing Trust, Energy Foundation and Elevate Energy, has the potential to reach 5 million homes. - The City Energy Project (CEP) - an initiative from NRDC and the Institute for Market Transformation that is designed to create healthier, more prosperous American cities by targeting buildings, their largest source of energy use and climate pollution - made significant progress on both the policy and program development fronts. All 10 participating cities have achieved major victories or meaningful gains in their implementation efforts. Meanwhile, half of the cities have passed legislation, with the others on track to have ordinances passed by June 2016. And new programs will bolster awareness, set energy saving goals, provide PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing and engage stakeholders to build support for upcoming policy changes. - Working closely with NRDC, the Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of some of the largest school districts in the United States, moved to replace hundreds of millions of polystyrene plastic trays with compostable plates in their cafeterias. In a landmark collaboration, the Urban School Food Alliance's six districts - which serve 2.5 million meals per day - worked together to challenge industry to develop an innovative and affordable environmentally friendly round plate to replace the polystyrene tray. This announcement came on the heels of the alliance's decision to seek to buy only antibiotic-free chicken. - NRDC joined forces with a diverse coalition of groups to submit a settlement proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission that, if adopted, would make electricity a low-cost, clean transportation fuel, available to more drivers, and help the state comply with federal air quality standards and achieve Governor Brown's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. The proposed program calls for San Diego Gas & Electric to install smart charging infrastructure at up to 550 multi-family housing sites and workplace locations throughout its service territory, with an average of ten chargers at each location for a total of 5,500 separate chargers. - NRDC promoted smart growth principles and best practices to help China's cities transition to low-carbon development. In late 2014, NRDC released a first-of-its-kind report that evaluated and ranked 35 Chinese cities on Walkability, a key attribute of sustainable urban transport. The report drew wide media coverage in China. - NRDC helped secure an important victory for the Palisades Park, a National Natural and Historic Landmark in New Jersey. In a win-win settlement with NRDC and local allies, LG Electronics agreed to lower its proposed 143-foot North American headquarters to 69 feet - protecting the iconic vistas of this national treasure that have been protected for more than 100 years. Then We Share the Story NRDC is committed to educating the public about solutions to environmental challenges. Our federal, national, and international media teams ensure that NRDC is cited in the press on a daily basis. Our experts are quoted in top-tier newspapers, and we are frequent guests on leading national TV and radio news outlets. Our communications team publishes more than 120 policy documents every year, ensuring that NRDC's environmental solutions are at the forefront among the professional community. We have a strong social media presence that keeps followers informed of wins, setbacks, and breaking news. We communicate via our membership newsletter, Nature's Voice, and across digital channels supported by our English and Spanish websites. We also publish cutting-edge journalism on NRDC's digital news channels, Earthwire and OnEarth. Here are a few highlights from 2015: - NRDC Members and online activists surpassed 2 million, nearly doubling from 2013. - In February, NRDC launched our award-winning shield logo and brand representing our vigilant defense of the planet. - On our global Facebook page, we grew our audience to 345,395 fans (an increase of 33.4 percent) and reached over 18.5 million Facebook users through our messaging. On Twitter, our global channel grew its audience to 179,363 followers (an increase of 31 percent). |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:WITNESS FEES TOTAL FEES:332034 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:CREATIVE DESIGN/ART/FILM TOTAL FEES:1222680 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:ADMINISTRATIVE CONSULTING TOTAL FEES:350871 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING TOTAL FEES:336378 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:MEMBERSHIP CONSULTING TOTAL FEES:83821 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:CLEAN ENERGY TOTAL FEES:6981963 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:OCEANS TOTAL FEES:483011 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:HEALTH & TOXICS TOTAL FEES:1265702 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:WILDLIFE & WETLANDS TOTAL FEES:1230285 |
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DESCRIPTION:SAFE & SUFFICIENT WATER TOTAL FEES:496611 |
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DESCRIPTION:SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES TOTAL FEES:1882192 |
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DESCRIPTION:MISCELLANEOUS PROFESSIONAL FEE TOTAL FEES:3117681 |
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DESCRIPTION:CONSULTING REIMBURSEMENT TOTAL FEES:684079 |
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DESCRIPTION:INSTITUTIONAL CONSULTING TOTAL FEES:1188317 |
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DESCRIPTION:EDITORIAL TOTAL FEES:452645 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G |
DESCRIPTION:PRINTING TOTAL FEES:295406 |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.