Who We Are
Green Points of View
Eating 'Green' – What Are You Really Buying? by Sheila Newhouse
Read board member Chris Elam's interview with Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, a new book that looks at why we waste so much perfectly edible food.
Read How Hamburgers Pollute Our Water, by Research Director Renee Cho. The article can be found on Columbia University's Earth Institute blog.
History
From 1973-2007 INFORM operated as a research organization. During that time, it published over 100 reports on a wide range of environmental issues, including clean energy, chemical hazards and waste management. Here are some of the highlights:
1976–1978 – INFORM’s investigation of the land sales industry leads to proposed consumer amendments in the Federal Interstate Land Sales Reform Act.
1986 – INFORM’s recommendations result in the creation of the US EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, a system for industry to report its releases of toxic chemicals.
1989 – INFORM is among the first organizations to promote the benefits of using natural gas as a fuel option.
1990 – INFORM’s chemical research documents the benefits of preventing waste and inspires the federal 1990 Pollution Prevention Act.
1992 – INFORM’s investigation of chemical plants finds that companies can reduce waste and save money by preventing pollution at its source.
1994 – INFORM publicizes extended producer responsibility, a policy approach that makes manufacturers responsible for their products from creation to disposal.
1995 – INFORM’s Toxics Watch report, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, reveals that much of the toxic waste released into the environment comes from consumer products, not chemical manufacturing plants.
2000 – INFORM is among the first organizations to call attention to the threats posed by the hazardous substances contained in the millions of cell phones discarded annually.
2000 – INFORM’s Bus Futures report concludes that investing in natural gas buses is key for making progress toward cleaner buses and cleaner air.
2004–2005 – INFORM’s Cleaning for Health program helps 77 institutions in the Northeast prevent more than 56,000 pounds of toxics chemicals from entering the waste stream.
2009 – We are proud to announce that INFORM has been selected for this year’s Media That Matters Film Festival and received the "Rethinking Resources" award at festival.
