The modern environmental movement generally traces its roots to the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, followed within a decade by the Santa Barbara oil spill, the Cuyahoga River fire, the first Earth Day, and the founding of the Natural Resources Defense Council by John H. Adams, whom Rolling Stone has called "the planet's lawyer." Here’s a look at four decades of courtroom battles, legislative triumphs, and global initiatives that have brought us where we are today.

1962		1969
	1962 Rachel Carson's Silent Spring is published, a wake-up call about the environmental dangers posed by synthetic chemicals. 1964 Wilderness Act passes. 1965 Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission, a landmark lawsuit brought by ordinary citizens.		1969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California, followed a few months later by an oil and garbage slick catching fire on the Cuyahoga River in Ohio.
1970
	1970, January 1 Natural Resources Defense Council is incorporated in New York City, soon adding an office in Washington, D.C. National Environmental Policy Act requires environmental impact statements for all major federal actions.	April 22 Twenty million Americans participate in the first celebration of Earth Day, spearheaded by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and environmental advocate Denis Hayes. July 9 President Richard Nixon creates the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by executive order.	December 1 Nixon signs the Clean Air Act.
1972		1973
	1971 First NRDC lawsuit, challenging strip-mining by the Tennessee Valley Authority. 1972 Clean Water Act is enacted, with major input from NRDC. NRDC opens office in Palo Alto, California.		1973 Endangered Species Act is passed to protect animals like this gray wolf. NRDC wins landmark lawsuit requiring the Atomic Energy Commission to study environmental effects of the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program.
1977		1978
	1974 NRDC wins the nation's first lawsuit to curb acid rain, forcing coal-fired power plants to control pollution dispersed over wide areas from "tall stacks." 1977 Amendments to the Clean Air Act protect wilderness areas.		1978 Love Canal disaster gives birth to the environmental justice movement. New York City adopts NRDC blueprint for reform of public transportation. 1979 NRDC publishes first issue of the Amicus Journal.
1980		1983
	1980 NRDC helps win protection for 100 million acres of wilderness in Alaska. 1981 NRDC convinces Congress to enact the first of eight annual prohibitions on oil and gas leasing in sensitive coastal areas off California and other states.		1983 NRDC lawsuit wins first public access to EPA health and safety data on pesticides. 1984 In response to NRDC petition, California adopts standards to slash energy consumption by air conditioners and refrigerators.
1986		1989
	1986 NRDC negotiates agreement with oil companies on offshore leasing in the Bering Sea. 1986 NRDC and the Soviet Academy of Sciences agree to set up seismic monitoring stations for underground nuclear tests.		1987NRDC lawsuit wins $1.5 million settlement against Bethlehem Steel for water pollution. 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. New, energy-efficient NRDC offices open in New York City.
1991		1995
	1991 Defeat of Senate bill to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Similar initiatives will be defeated repeatedly over the coming years. 1992 NRDC is influential in passage of the most significant lead-poisoning law since the phaseout of leaded gasoline.		Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1995 Republican-dominated 104th Congress launches sweeping attack on the nation's environmental laws.
1999
	1996 NRDC plays a central role in defeating environmental rollbacks proposed by the 104th Congress in the Contract with America. 1997 Kyoto Protocol is adopted by the U.S. and 121 other nations but is never ratified by Congress.		1999 NRDC helps win commitment from over 200 companies to phase out old-growth wood products. NRDC launches membership bulletin, Nature's Voice. NRDC sponsors Marine Life Protection Act in California.
2000		2003
2000 Mitsubishi drops plans to build a salt factory on grey whale breeding grounds in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico. Drawing heavily on NRDC recommendations, New York Governor George Pataki announces plan to clean up New York City's entire diesel bus fleet.	2001 NRDC establishes BioGems program and Climate Center. Clinton administration adopts the "roadless rule," the largest land conservation measure in U.S. history. 2002 California passes historic law, AB 1493, to reduce global warming pollution from cars and trucks sold in the state.		2003 Federal judges side with NRDC to limit U.S. Navy’s use of low-frequency sonar in the Hawaiian Islands Whale Sanctuary. 2005 – 2007 NRDC sets up Science Center and Center for Market Innovation, opens offices in Beijing and Chicago.
2009
	2007 NRDC negotiates a pact with a leading paper producer, Bowater, to stop clear-cutting hardwood forests on the Cumberland Plateau. 2009 Thirty-three person NRDC delegation attends U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.