“When the idea was first derived to combine hiking the Bruce Trail with an awareness/fundraising project, the first thing to come to mind was, ‘How will I gain the trust of students to donate to this just cause.’ Immediately I thought of WPIRG, a great organization that could help me out, lend eager volunteers, and put me on the right path.”

— Rob Blom

Public Interest Research Groups (also known as PIRGs) are volunteer-driven, non-profit organizations across the North America, originally based mostly out of university campuses, but today also having robust citizen memberships. Inspiration for PIRGs started in the 1960s when public advocate Ralph Nader spoke on college campuses across the country about increasing student involvement in society. Since then, PIRGs across North America have provided training, support, and opportunities for members and the public to be active citizens in their communities, while achieving concrete social change in the form of hundreds of laws and other policies won on behalf of the public interest. They believe that the way to create positive social change is to provide individuals with the information and tools they need to take responsibility for their lives and to participate effectively in their communities. Issues of environmental, consumer protection, political and social justice are the main targets of concern. PIRGs focus on public interest legislation, with some registered lobbying, but do not work directly on election campaigns.

PIRGs rely on two innovative institution-building mechanisms: door-to-door and street canvassing, and funding through student government fees like other clubs. PIRGs also have set up a variety of affiliated organizations, such as a mutual fund. Internally, experienced staff tend to determine the strategies and structuring of PIRG organizations, with oversight provided by a citizen and/or student board. The various PIRGs are independent state-based organizations, but have created some national organizations through which various subsets of the PIRGs collaborate.

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) is a campus-based, student-activist non-profit organization in Ontario, Canada.

OPIRG is broken into eleven distinct chapters, and serves as a hub organization, allowing the organizing commitees of the local chapters to exchange ideas, better educate themselves and co-ordinate plans and undertakings. The public interest research group's main areas of interest are in the encouragement of diversity and issues of social or environmental concern.

— Wikipedia