Redford, a longtime environmental activist born and raised in Santa Monica, said the building symbolized a step forward for the conservation movement, which he said had been dealt setbacks by the Bush administration.
“We are now suffering through an administration that has, in a very calculating way, set out to undermine and destroy 30 years of hard work,” he said.
“There’s never been a time in my life when I’ve felt so challenged as a country, so challenged on the environment, as we are now.”