Our Mission

The environment is the place where we live, work, and play. Given accurate and complete information, and the opportunity to make a choice, people will choose products or actions that improve or do not degrade the environment. However, not everyone in our society has a choice about the quality of his or her environment. Those who most need the Environmental Law Foundation’s resources are those who lack choice and lack access to the political and economic power that ensures choice.

ELF’s purpose is to improve environmental quality for those most at risk by providing access to information, strategies, and enforcement of environmental, toxics, and community right-to-know laws. ELF complements the approach of other environmental law groups by enforcing existing environmental regulations, providing a bridge of direct service to people in need, and serving as the critical link between at-risk communities and the legal, scientific, financial, and other resources they need to effectively address environmental problems.

ELF’s goals include:

  • The development and implementation of innovative strategies to address environmental problems.
  • Targeting investigations and assistance to those with the least choice about and who are the most vulnerable to environmental risks.
  • Ensuring that companies provide complete and accurate consumer information about the environmental impacts of products and practices.
  • Reducing the risks from toxic exposure.