Courtesy of Heather Ross

Edward Strohbehn could reasonably be described not only as a co-founder of NRDC but as someone who helped pioneer the field of environmental law. In the late 1960s as a student at Yale Law School, he was inspired by the new and flourishing area of public interest law -- utilizing the courts to advocate for civil rights on behalf of ordinary citizens. He and several classmates -- Gus Speth (author and former dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies), John Bryson (now U.S. secretary of commerce), and Dick Ayres (founding partner of the Ayres Law Group) -- brainstormed about using those same legal tools to protect the planet.

Those "Yale Four," along with founding director John Adams, went on to establish NRDC, "which began as simply an idea: something new, novel, interesting," says Strohbehn, "a chance to make a difference. Starting NRDC was also a vote of confidence -- in my colleagues and in the rule of law. Neither confidence was misplaced. Good people have made NRDC, and NRDC has made good law."

After working as an attorney for seven years at NRDC, Strohbehn was tapped by the Carter administration to serve as executive director of the Council on Environmental Quality. In 1980, the council published the groundbreaking Global 2000 Report, which looked ahead to the environmental consequences of poverty, loss of species, and climate change.

Following his White House stint, Strohbehn moved west, soon joining the San Francisco law firm now known as Bingham McCutchen, turning his focus to the private sector and to helping corporations understand and comply with the huge swath of environmental laws enacted in the 1970s. That need has not diminished, Strohbehn observes, as environmental law has grown increasingly complex. His favorite work involves companies that strive not only to comply with the law but to "get ahead of the game" through innovations that help improve the environment.

Strohbehn, meanwhile, continues to devote considerable time to the nonprofit sector. He served for eight years on the board of Resources for the Future and is now director of the Environmental Law Institute, both environmental and economic policy think tanks based in Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Leadership Council of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. "As much as NRDC has achieved over the past 40 years," Strohbehn says, "much more needs to be done by NRDC and by new institutions to advance our cause during challenging times and to forge the instruments of change."