Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth International
Abbreviation	FoEI
Formation	1969
Founder	Donald Aitken; David Brower; Jerry Mander; Gary Soucie;
Focus	Environmentalism; Anti-nuclear movement; Human rights;
Area served	Global
Members	75 national member groups
Key people	Karin Nansen; Jagoda Munić; Hemantha Withanage (chair); Choony Kim; Asad Rehman; Godwin Uyi Ojo; Kwami Dodzi Kpondzo; Silvia Quiroa;
Volunteers	Some 5,000 local activist groups
Website	www.foei.org

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other names.^[2] The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with the Sierra Club^[3] because of the latter's positive approach to nuclear energy. The founding donation of $500,000 (in 2019 USD) was provided by Robert Orville Anderson, the owner of Atlantic Richfield oil company.^[4] It became an international network of organizations in 1971 with a meeting of representatives from four countries: U.S., Sweden, the UK and France.^[5]

FoEI currently has a secretariat (based in Amsterdam, Netherlands) which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns.^[6] The executive committee of elected representatives from national groups sets policy and oversees the work of the secretariat. In 2016, Uruguayan activist Karin Nansen was elected to serve as chair of the organization. Sri Lankan activist Hemantha Withanage has served as chair of FoEI since 2021.^[7]

^ "Excom". Friends of the Earth International. April 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
^ Organisation
^ Thomson, Jennifer (2017). "Surviving the 1970s: The Case of Friends of the Earth", Environmental History. Vol. 22(2), p. 235
^ Shellenberger, Michael. "Why Renewables Advocates Protect Fossil Fuel Interests, Not The Climate". Forbes. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^ "History". April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
^ "Friends of the Earth ticked off over claims in anti-fracking leaflet". The Guardian. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
^ "Executive committee - Friends of the Earth International". 4 March 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

[1] "Excom". Friends of the Earth International. April 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

[2] Organisation

[3] Thomson, Jennifer (2017). "Surviving the 1970s: The Case of Friends of the Earth", Environmental History. Vol. 22(2), p. 235

[4] Shellenberger, Michael. "Why Renewables Advocates Protect Fossil Fuel Interests, Not The Climate". Forbes. Retrieved 18 June 2019.

[5] "History". April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2016.

[6] "Friends of the Earth ticked off over claims in anti-fracking leaflet". The Guardian. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2018.

[7] "Executive committee - Friends of the Earth International". 4 March 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

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