Earth Island Institute began to take shape in the late 1970s as an outgrowth of the work of Friends of the Earth in San Francisco. From the beginning, Earth Island had in its purpose the idea of fostering bold action by creative individuals.

Following a series of meetings and discussions, a group of Dave Brower's colleagues joined to incorporate EII on September 28, 1982. EII served essentially as a vehicle for new initiatives that members of this group and other colleagues could use as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, tax-deductible home for their work. In the years before EII became a staffed organization (1982-1985), EII's activities included participation and sponsorship of the first and second Conferences on the Fate of the Earth and publication of conference proceedings, Helena Norberg-Hodge's Ladakh Project, the publication of special editions of Earth Island Journal, and a pioneering environmental trip to the USSR.

In the fall of 1985 when it was announced that FOE intended to close the San Francisco headquarter office, EII's meetings took on a greater urgency. FOE offered its San Francisco staff consideration for Washington jobs but few took the offer. The FOE move would leave behind a number of staff members who had been key players in FOE's various initiatives. As the meetings proceeded, it was decided that EII would attempt to provide a home for this work.

In January 1986, as the FOE office closed, Earth Island took a small loft office in downtown San Francisco to house operations for a number of projects that were then sponsored by Earth Island and needed space, such as Rainforest Action Network, International Rivers Network, and Environmental Project on Central America.

Embracing its role as innovative environmental think-tank and campaign incubator, Earth Island has since flourished. From its inception, more than 50 projects have been launched and supported by the organization. Important victories have been achieved in protecting rainforests, stopping the slaughter of dolphins and whales, innovating multicultural environmental leadership, producing award-winning journalism, and more.

Today we continue to be a place of leading edge thinking and action within the environmental movement. Each year, 2-3 new projects are launched to address critical environmental issues. Through the energy and passion of this committed group of activists, we continue to boldly move forward in our mission to conserve, preserve, and restore the Earth.