Abstract

In almost every country there are non-profit organizations (NPOs) whose aim is to improve and protect the environment. These green NPOs deal with various environmental aspects, such as conservation of natural habitats, prevention of water and sea pollution, and urban planning. The activities of the green NPOs have had a significant impact on the determination of environmental policy. In many countries most of the recent environmental improvements can be attributed to these green NPOs. Therefore, it is important to assess the methods and activities of these NPOs in order to propose improved methods of action, so that a better environment can be achieved for all of us. This research includes both a theoretical model and an empirical section. The theoretical model is based on political economy models that consider lobbyist activities. The empirical part used an Israel data-base of NPOs that was constructed through interviews and data-gathering from other sources. The main research questions of this research are: Which methods of action will bring about the most positive impact on the environment? What are the respective benefits of the different methods of action? Does collaboration with other NPOs improve results?