Environmental-conservation groups need to position themselves withn the mainstream, rather than as part of the “fringe.”

By Paul Barbagallo

“There has been a lot of misinformation to portray the environmental-conservation community as out on the edge of the political spectrum,” Stein says, commenting on the diversity of most environmental-donor files. “The word ‘environment’ has become a spinned, challenged word just like ‘liberal.’”

What’s more, Stein says that since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, environmental issues have not weighed as heavily in the minds of mainstream America.