View Essays by Brent Blackwelder

Aside from being one of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, Brent Blackwelder is an amazing advocate for environmental protection and economic sanity.  His entire career has focused on serving the public and making our communities and our planet better places to live.

Brent recently retired as the president of Friends of the Earth where he was renowned for speaking truth to power.  He testified in front of the U.S. Congress on pressing environmental issues more than 100 times.  He also was a founder of American Rivers, a top river-saving organization. As a leader in the effort to safeguard rivers, Brent helped expand the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System from eight rivers in 1973 to over 250 today. On the economics front, he initiated campaigns to reform the World Bank and succeeded in getting Congress to enact a series of significant reforms directing the Bank to pay more attention to the environment.

Brent’s “retirement” consists of unflagging service to ensure a sustainable and just society.  He generously lends his expertise to a host of nonprofit organizations that are having a positive effect on environmental and economic health.  His essays on The Daly News focus on policy reforms that will lead to a brighter future.