KEY EVENTS
Environmentalism began as a movement in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s after early awareness of threats to the environment, the publishing of the book Silent Spring, the first Earth Day, and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, humanity's relationship and dependence on the earth for survival has existed since the beginning of time. Ancient civilizations, such as Rome, Babylon, and Greece, dealt with the problem of air pollution. “Excessive deforestation continued in England in the 1500s, forcing the English to switch to coal.” The United States dealt with problems of waste disposal and water pollution (Proquest Staff 1). In all of these cases, people came up with solutions, which caused a …show more content…
The environmentalism movement started in 1962, when Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring. This book brought more attention to the environment and how the daily activities could be threats to the environment (4). According to Biography in Context, this book “is often credited with beginning the environmental movement in the United States” (1). Through Carson’s book, Silent Spring, awareness about environmental problems rose throughout the world. People also learned about how important it is to help our environment and be aware of our interactions with the environment. This book raised awareness about environmentalism, and many people recognized it as the event that launched the environmental movement. It also brought more recognition to the environment and threats the environment has to face because of humans and their …show more content…
Threats to the environment were increasingly viewed as threats to a human's quality of life, leading to another crucial event in the history of environmentalism: the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. “Thus by the late 1960s, the third wave of conservation had evolved into modern environmentalism, with the transformation formalized by the national celebration of Earth Day 1970.” Earth Day marked the replacement of conservation with the full range of environmental issues, as well as mobilizing a much broader base of support than any prior waves of conservatism had done before (Dunlap and Mertig 2). Earth Day formalized the transformation from the third wave of conservation into modern environmentalism, clearly showing that environmentalism was important, and would become a very big deal as the movement went on. Since the first Earth Day reached out to a broader base of support than other waves if conservation, more people became conscious of environmental problems through the world, and they were able to take action in the environmental movement to help with efforts that would save the
Environmentalism began as a movement in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s after early awareness of threats to the environment, the publishing of the book Silent Spring, the first Earth Day, and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, humanity's relationship and dependence on the earth for survival has existed since the beginning of time. Ancient civilizations, such as Rome, Babylon, and Greece, dealt with the problem of air pollution. “Excessive deforestation continued in England in the 1500s, forcing the English to switch to coal.” The United States dealt with problems of waste disposal and water pollution (Proquest Staff 1). In all of these cases, people came up with solutions, which caused a …show more content…
The environmentalism movement started in 1962, when Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring. This book brought more attention to the environment and how the daily activities could be threats to the environment (4). According to Biography in Context, this book “is often credited with beginning the environmental movement in the United States” (1). Through Carson’s book, Silent Spring, awareness about environmental problems rose throughout the world. People also learned about how important it is to help our environment and be aware of our interactions with the environment. This book raised awareness about environmentalism, and many people recognized it as the event that launched the environmental movement. It also brought more recognition to the environment and threats the environment has to face because of humans and their …show more content…
Threats to the environment were increasingly viewed as threats to a human's quality of life, leading to another crucial event in the history of environmentalism: the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. “Thus by the late 1960s, the third wave of conservation had evolved into modern environmentalism, with the transformation formalized by the national celebration of Earth Day 1970.” Earth Day marked the replacement of conservation with the full range of environmental issues, as well as mobilizing a much broader base of support than any prior waves of conservatism had done before (Dunlap and Mertig 2). Earth Day formalized the transformation from the third wave of conservation into modern environmentalism, clearly showing that environmentalism was important, and would become a very big deal as the movement went on. Since the first Earth Day reached out to a broader base of support than other waves if conservation, more people became conscious of environmental problems through the world, and they were able to take action in the environmental movement to help with efforts that would save the