History
The PIRGs emerged in the early 1970s on U.S. college campuses. The PIRG model was proposed in the book Action for a Change by Ralph Nader and Donald Ross. Ross helped students across the country set up the first PIRG chapters, then became the director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) in 1973.
The Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) was the first state PIRG to incorporate, on February 17, 1971. It was followed Oregon (OSPIRG) and Massachusetts (MASSPIRG). Among other early accomplishments, the PIRGs were responsible for much of the s, also known as "bottle bills" in the United States.
There are now state PIRGs in nearly 30 states. Each state PIRG is a self-governing affiliate. In addition, the state organizations sponsor a national lobbying office in Washington, D.C. Collectively, the national federation of state PIRGs is known as U.S. PIRG. The PIRGs employ nearly 400 full-time staff, including organizers, attorneys, and policy analysts.
Read more about this topic: Public Interest Research Group
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)