About Richard Whiteford   "I speak for the trees;  for the trees have  no tongues" The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Richard Whiteford is an environmental activist and writer. Alarm over the massive loss of Earth’s variety of plants, creatures, and ecosystems, and over-pollution’s dangers to public health, compelled Mr. Whiteford  to devote his life to fighting for environmental protection.

Mr. Whiteford has written well over 500 articles for newspapers, magazines, and other publications. His scientific and economic based articles educate the public and influence political decisions on environmental legislation. He wrote a three year series about endangered species that appeared on the cover of the Sunday comics in the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2006 his book, “Wild Pennsylvania”, ISBN# 0-76032638-X. on Voyageur Press.

As an activist, Mr. Whiteford initiated the preservation of 3,000 acres of natural land. He helps initiate changes in township, state, and federal laws for stronger environmental protection. He lobbies Congress and works on legislative committees on issues like Off Road Vehicle destruction on public and private land, the Endangered Species Act, National Energy Policy, protecting Roadless Areas in National Forests, preventing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, stopping Mountain Top Removal coal mining methods, preventing residential development in Valley Forge National Park, and many other issues.

Due to Mr. Whiteford’s fifteen year activism and journalism activities, he is in demand as a teacher and speaker. He teaches environmental and writing subjects as a consultant at many universities and high schools. He’s a keynote speaker at many conferences, Earth Day events, and churches. In 1997 he was an honored guest at the United Nations for the Earth Day International celebration. The US Postal Service hired him to make media appearances to promote the Endangered Species collectible postage stamp series. In 2000 Honda America gave Mr. Whiteford the new electric hybrid Honda Insight for a week to use for promotional events in the Philadelphia market for the Earth Day millennia celebration. He has appeared on BBC and Korean television and NPR’s show, Justice Talking, about environmental issues.

In 1998 Mr. Whiteford won the Sierra Club Award for Environmental Activism. He was a consultant to Pennsylvania’s 21st Century Environmental Commission and went on to become a founding member and board member of the Pennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership.

From 1999 – 2001, he worked for the National Sierra Club as the Northeast Region Conservation Organizer. He served as the Outreach Coordinator for the Highlands Coalition, working to preserve 2 million acres of watershed area in the Highlands. He was also the Mid-Atlantic Campaign Manager for the Wilderness Society working on conservation appropriations legislation in Congress. In 2005, Mr. Whiteford worked as the Director of the Important Mammal Areas Project, a science based conservation project but lost this position when the grant funding was cut. He is currently the Outreach 
Representative for Pennsylvania and New Jersey for Defenders of Wildlife.

Mr. Whiteford organized the Chester County Sierra Club Committee and received the National Sierra Club, 2006 Environmental Hero Award. Mr. Whiteford completed Al Gore’s training and is a certified presenter for An Inconvenient Truth.