History

ADPSR was originally established in 1981 as a 501(c)3 public-benefit organization to promote nuclear disarmament and correct the imbalances caused by military excesses overshadowing domestic needs. Throughout the 1980s, ADPSR initiated numerous peace projects including peace parks, conferences, traveling exhibits, and citizen diplomacy exchange programs with the former Soviet Union. Since 1990, ADPSR has focused much of its effort on ecologically and socially responsible development. The New York and Chicago chapters have been offering non-partisan forums on various aspects of community development, with particular attention given to preserving a balanced ecology and social and economic equity. The Northern California Chapter has focused on ecological architecture and sustainable development. ADPSR NorCal has been conducting a monthly "Building Ecology" lecture series in San Francisco for over a decade and also produced an annual tradeshow of ecological construction which has now become West Coast Green. They award an annual David Kibbey Memorial Scholarship to support the study of healthy building design, particularly with regard to indoor air quality. Other ADPSR projects include the facilitation of citizen participation in local and regional planning, low-income housing advocacy, and participate as an NGO in the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT).