For more than 30 years, the state Public Interest Research Groups have won concrete results for our environment, for consumers, and for our quality of life.

On the occasion of our 30th anniversary, we pulled together just a sampling of the many successes state PIRGs have achieved over the years. Within these diverse stories— taking place over three decades in dozens of states on many issues—there is a common thread: research, organizing and advocacy. In each case, state PIRGs began by investigating the problems at hand, building support for concrete solutions among the public, and then persistently advocating change.

This unique and powerful model of public interest work has become the state PIRGs' hallmark. But as with all successful strategies, it is an approach that has evolved over time—and continues to evolve today.

In the early 1970s, the first generation of PIRGs on college campuses focused much of their attention on research. From PIRG chapters across the country issued a steady stream of reports on consumer rip-offs, dangerous products, workplace hazards, environmental threats and social and economic injustices. Following in the footsteps of Ralph Nader and the early consumer crusaders, the state PIRGs' research received attention from the media and the general public - often bringing about substantial changes in government and corporate behavior.

But as special interest dominance of politics grew in the late 1970s and early 1980s, being right on the issues was often not enough. To win concrete reforms, state PIRGs increasingly sought to involve citizens in our campaigns. Through door-to-door canvassing and partnerships with like-minded civic groups in the community, state PIRGs began to build political power to match our research-based expertise.

Yet a third component was the professional advocacy provided by PIRG staff. "Lobbying" had traditionally been the province of the well-heeled special interests whose hired guns plied their trade in the corridors and back rooms of state houses. As state PIRGs developed in the 1970s and 1980s, many added full-time advocates who provided an ever-watchful eye over the legislative process - identifying opportunities for progress, drafting bills and alerting citizens to behind-the-scenes schemes to subvert the public interest.

As we honed and developed our model for making social change, so too did we work to build the strength of our organizations - and the public interest movement in general. History is replete with stories of organizations and movements that faded from view after one great victory or one major campaign. We have worked mightily to avoid the same fate.

Phelps worked with former NYPIRG director Donald Ross (right) and others to establish the state PIRGs' federal legislative office, led since 1984 by Gene Karpinski (center). Phelps also founded the Fund for Public Interest Research to promote state PIRGs' organizational development.

Our focus on movement-building has required great cooperation among state PIRGs. Through the creation of The Fund for Public Interest Research—which provides organizational support and technical assistance to many state PIRGs—and our federal legislative office, U.S. PIRG, we have magnified our capacity to advocate for the public interest in the states and at the federal level.

At the same time, the need to sustain a strong public interest movement has prompted us to take a broad view of our responsibility to build for the future. No other family of organizations in American history, for example, has identified and trained as many young activists as the state PIRGs. Over the past three decades, thousands of young people have gained experience and knowledge through participation in PIRG internship and training programs. That these PIRG alumni continue to pursue action for a change —as staff or leaders of public interest groups, as public officials, as leaders in business, professions and the labor movement, and as private citizens—is our most enduring contribution.

Over the years, state PIRG staff have always been on the lookout for opportunities to broaden the range of strategies we use to protect the public interest. Ballot initiatives, corporate campaigns, shareholder advocacy, litigation and advocacy at the federal level have all been added to the basic PIRG "toolbox"—often with impressive results.

Around some of these strategies, we have taken advantage of the opportunity to build entirely new and separate institutions. State PIRGs have played a role in the creation of more than a dozen organizations that help to fulfill our public interest mission. Organizations initiated by the PIRGs now organize citizens to clean up toxic dumps, encourage activism among college students, educate the public about the environmental impacts of their choices as consumers, and harness the economic power of consumers through socially responsible investing.

Phelps has also led efforts to form new state PIRGs, start new enterprises and organizations like Green Century Funds and Green Corps, and strengthen the PIRGs' commitment to building the public interest movement via leadership training and alumni outreach.

Yet, for all the successes of the past 30 years, and all the growth the state PIRGs have experienced over that period, the challenges facing us and our society remain daunting. The degradation of the global environment, the continued threats to public health posed by air and water pollution, the dominance of special interests over politics, and the widening gap in power between rich and poor all call for renewed and emboldened activism in the years ahead.

We hope the stories presented in this book provide a sense of hope as to what might be achieved in the future with the right combination of knowledge, persistence and public support. They show that by setting achievable goals and working toward tangible results in the short term, we can lay the groundwork and build the strength needed to achieve more profound change over the long haul.

The victories chronicled in our 30th anniversary booklet do not necessarily represent our most important accomplishments (although many rank at or near the top of the list). But they do reflect the diversity of issues, strategies and decision-making forums in which the PIRGs have made a difference. Whether the objective has been a healthier environment, healthier people or a healthier democracy—or a fairer marketplace, a more efficient economy or a more just society—the state PIRGs and our allies have consistently won important victories, despite often overwhelming odds.

As we enter our fourth decade, we at the state PIRGs are resolved to replicate and expand upon the successes of the past in the hopes of bringing about a brighter future for us all. We invite you to join us in the effort.

Sincerely,

Douglas H. Phelps
Chairman, Board of Directors,
National Association of State PIRGs