FRIENDS OF THE EARTH

Image Gallery Whales . . . they're not out of trouble yet.

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The worldwide organization called Friends of the Earth is one of the most effective environmental groups in existence today, and the activities of FOE—along with a broad range of other news concerning ecological developments — are described each month in its publication titled Not Man Apart . You can become a member of Friends of the Earth, and receive the excellent tabloid by sending $25 ($12 for students and retired people) — or $15 for a subscription only — to FOE, Dept. TMEN, 1045 Sansome Street, San Francisco, California 94111. And to increase the reach of the organization's doings, we've arranged to bring you this bi-monthly column, which is prepared by the staff of FOE/NNMA.

CONGRESS GETS A LITTLE GREENER

You couldn't call it a landslide by any means, but the first major environmentalist foray into national electoral politics produced many satisfying victories, a few disappointing losses, and a determination to do even better next time.

The Friends of the Earth Political Action Committee, to take one handy (and perhaps slightly self-congratulating) example, supported a total of 48 candidates in 25 states. Of these, 34 — or 70% — won, and in many cases the environmental support played a big part in the victories.

The most dramatic win took place in New Mexico, where incumbent Republican Senator Harrison Schmitt was defeated by Jeff Bingaman, the state's Attorney General. Environmentalists put 1,500 volunteers into the Bingaman campaign, setting the stage for one of the biggest upsets of this election.

In other key contests, environmentalists were credited with saving Republican Senator Bob Stafford of Vermont in a tough primary . . . and then with helping him prevail in the general election. Stafford is a champion of clean air, and one of the few high-ranking Republican members of the Senate sympathetic to environmental concerns.

The biggest disappointment occurred in California, where governor Jerry Brown — running with enthusiastic environmental backing — lost his race for the U.S. Senate.

However, Congressman Philip Burton — a San Francisco Democrat and one of the best friends environmentalists have in Washington — won what the newspapers called "the toughest race of his long career". With the help of determined environmentalist support, Burton overcame a heavily financed campaign mounted by a popular Republican state senator.

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