ELM Home

Collaborative

Issues

Jobs and Volunteering

Join/Donate

Activist Tools

Links

Directions

Earth Night

• Mission
• Overview and Brief History
• 100 Years of Environmental Protection
• Notable Accomplishments
• ELM Press Releases
• Board of Directors
• Staff
• Contact ELM

The Environmental League of Massachusetts is dedicated to protecting the air, water, and land for the people of the commonwealth. We do this by voicing citizens' concerns, educating the public, advocating for strong environmental laws, and ensuring that our laws are implemented and enforced.

The Environmental League of Massachusetts is an independent, member-based, nonprofit organization established 100 years ago as the Massachusetts Forestry Association. Over time, ELM became involved with pollution, waste disposal and recycling, biodiversity, and toxics: the whole range of modern environmental issues. Reflecting this broadened area of concern and ELM's research, watchdog and education work, we became the Environmental League of Massachusetts in 1993.

ELM is the only organization which works exclusively for strong environmental policies in Massachusetts. We feel strongly about concentrating our limited resources on the state level, where we believe that our knowledge, expertise, and reputation allow us to have the strongest impact.

Rivers Protection
ELM led the efforts to pass the Rivers Protection Act, which is the single most important environmental legislation this decade. The Rivers Act establishes a protected zone of 200 feet along 9,000 Massachusetts river miles. Thanks to this important new law, we can now begin to reclaim the more than two-thirds of our states river miles that are unsafe for fishing and swimming.

Open Space
ELM won passage of the $400 million Open Space Bond Act of 1996, which will provide millions of dollars for the state to purchase additional greenspace, as well as maintain parks, forests, trails, and beaches throughout the Commonwealth.

State Parks
ELM's efforts restored a proposed 10 percent ($2.5 million) cut in the parks agency budget. This cut would have resulted in further deterioration of our state parks system. As it stands, Massachusetts ranks 41st in the country on parks restoration and maintenance spending as a percentage of the total state budget.

Toxic Chemical Use
ELM has been working to make state government and businesses adopt reduced use of toxic chemicals as the first strategy for dealing with pollution. Many companies are getting the message and cutting back on their use of toxics, but much remains to be done.

Endangered Species
In addition to protecting thousands of acres of habitat through the Rivers and Open Space Bond Bills, ELM has spearheaded efforts to increase the budget for the states' Natural Heritage/Endangered Species Program.

Environmental League of Massachusetts
14 Beacon Street, Suite 714, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-2553
fax: (617) 742-9656
e-mail: elm@environmentalleague.org

Or click here:

---

Environmental League of Massachusetts Privacy Policy.