The Earth Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C-based think tank dedicated to working on global environmental issues, will closed close its doors at the end of June, its founder, Lester Brown, announced this morning. “After careful consideration of my life at 80 years, and with profound appreciation to my staff, collaborators and supporters, I have decided to step down as president of the Earth Policy Institute and end its work as of July 1, 2015,” Brown said in a written statement… Brown, whose career has spanned more than half a century working on environmental issues, plans to retire at that time. Already, Rutgers University in the U.S. state of New jersey, and Brown’s alma mater, has announced the establishment of the Lester R. Brown Reading Room in late 2015.