Fred Krupp has been the president of Environmental Defense Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group since 1984. He has worked towards convincing corporations of the benefits of environmentalism.[1] This has included convincing McDonald's and Duke Energy to make environmentally conscious business decisions. Krupp is also an advocate for legislative action on environmental issues; he successfully advocated for passage of the acid rain reduction plan in the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Fred Krupp | |
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Education | Yale University (BA) University of Michigan (JD) |
Occupation(s) | President, Environmental Defense Fund |
In 2015, Krupp received the William K. Reilly Environmental Leadership Award.[2]
Early life and education
editKrupp grew up in Verona, New Jersey, and became acquainted with recycling through his father's company, which used old rags to create roofing material.[3] He graduated from Yale University in 1975. He earned J.D. in 1978 from the University of Michigan Law School.[4] He later taught environmental law at Yale and University of Michigan.[5][6]
Career
editEarly career
editPrior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Krupp spent several years in private law practice in New Haven, Connecticut, at several firms: Cooper, Whitney, Cochran & Krupp and Albis & Krupp.[7] During that time he also was founder and general counsel for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment (1978–1984), a state-level environmental group.[citation needed]
Environmental Defense Fund
editSince 1984, when he became president of Environmental Defense Fund, he has been influential in developing several market-based solutions, including the acid rain reduction plan in the 1990 Clean Air Act.[8] He has been described as the environmentalist who "has been the most successful in persuading the corporate world—and those who support its interests—to embrace the green cause".[1] Examples including convincing McDonald's to forgo styrofoam for paper, Wal-Mart to stock energy-efficient light bulbs, and Duke Energy to invest in wind power.[1]
Krupp has advocated for reducing methane pollution. In 2017, he criticized natural gas because the release of methane along the supply chain "made [natural gas] just as bad an energy source as coal from a greenhouse gas perspective". Ben van Beurden, then CEO of Shell, canceled a meeting with Krupp because of Krupp's criticism of natural gas.[9] In 2018, Krupp announced that an affiliate of EDF planned to launch an orbital satellite, MethaneSAT, to monitor industrial methane leaks.[10][11]
In 2022, Krupp was one of the advocates for the Inflation Reduction Act.[12]
Other activities
editKrupp served on the board of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment,[13][14] and the Leadership Council of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.[15] He has served on the President's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.[citation needed]
He is the recipient of the 1999 Keystone Leadership in Environment Award, and the 2002 Champion Award from the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment.[citation needed]
In 2008, his book, Earth: The Sequel, co-written with Miriam Horn, was published. The book highlights technology that aims to fight global warming.[16]
In 2014, Krupp was awarded an honorary degree from Haverford College.[6]
He was elected by fellow alumni to serve as an alumni fellow of Yale's Board of Trustees for a six-year term beginning on July 1, 2022.[15] In June 2023, he earned an honorary degree from Williams College and gave the commencement address.[17]
Personal life
editHe lives in Connecticut with his wife, Laurie. They have three children.[18]
As an avid rower, he won a gold medal in the 2006 World Rowing Masters Regatta sponsored by the World Rowing Federation.[15] At the 2010 U.S. Rowing Masters Nationals Regatta, he won a silver medal in the Mixed Open F 4X.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c Verini, James (September 24, 2007). "The Devil's Advocate". The New Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ "Fred Krupp, President". Environmental Defense Fund. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ "Environmentalist Fred Krupp Helps Crush the Ubiquitous Fast-Food Clamshell", People (magazine), Vol. 35, No. 14 (April 15, 1991). Accessed December 23, 2014. "Krupp, 37, learned that lesson as a boy in Verona, N.J."
- ^ "Fred Krupp, '75 B.S., J.D." Yale University. July 6, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Williams College hosts Krupp for 234th commencement". Bennington Banner. March 15, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Marx, Ella (March 15, 2023). "EDF President Fred Krupp, U.S. Holocaust Museum Director Sara Bloomfield to speak at commencement, baccalaureate". The Williams Record. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Fred Krupp". Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Cornell University. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Biography of Fred Krupp
- ^ Mufson, Steven; Puko, Timothy (December 9, 2022). "Big Oil talks 'transition' but perpetuates petroleum, House documents say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Schwartz, John (April 11, 2018). "An Eye in the Sky Could Detect Planet-Warming Plumes on the Ground". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Brown, David W. (April 28, 2023). "A Security Camera for the Planet". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Joe Biden's signature legislation passes the Senate, at last". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "$20 million environmental seed is planted Heinz family grant is for research/policy center". The Baltimore Sun. December 15, 1995. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ Lee, Gary (December 15, 1995). "Heinz Trust Gives $20 Million Endowment to Open Environmental Center". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c Peed, Andrea Thompson (June 2, 2022). "Alumni elect Fred Krupp '75 to serve on Yale's board of trustees". YaleNews. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ Little, Amanda Griscom. "The Environmental Defense Fund's Fred Krupp on the Best Capitalist Climate Solutions". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Dravis, Stephen (June 4, 2023). "Williams Grads Pushed Toward 'Thoughtful Engagement'". iBerkshires.com. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Bio" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2006.
- ^ "Maritime Rowing dominates nationals". The Hour. August 17, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
External links
edit- "The Making of a Market-Minded Environmentalist", autobiographical article by Fred Krupp in Strategy+Business. (Registration required.)