Ecology Topic Proposal

Group Presentation : The American Environmental Movement Important people/groups-- History/Phases--

Activisism/Radicalism-- Changes/Effects (Legislation)--



Daniel and Lauren Jacob and David Madonna and Katie Tim and Amanda

Our purpose is to educate the class about the modern American environmental movement, as it relates heavily to our future careers as Landscape Architects. The core of the presentation will be divided into four main topics: Important people/groups, history/phases, activism, and effects of the movement, including legislation. We would like to do the presentation in the form of a video, which we will prepare beforehand and play for the class, leaving time for a question and answer portion at the end. In the late 1800ʼs and early 1900ʼs, America and England experienced a social movement called the “Resource Conservation Period,” where literature and ideas about the human impact on our environment began to reach more citizens. The Sierra Club was formed in this period in 1892. Some legislation regarding energy production and watershed preservation were passed in the 1920ʼs. The publication of Rachel Carsonʼs Silent Spring in 1962 is commonly referred to as marking the beginning of the modern American environmental movement. Earth Day was approved on March 21, 1975 by the US Congress and shortly after, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed. The 1970ʼs saw an unprecedented number of bills and regulations passed by the federal government to protect natural resources and wild spaces. In our presentation, we will also highlight other important people, groups, cultural events and legislation that have furthered the movement, including those motivated by extremist ideals. Of particular interest to us are groups labeled “eco-terrorists,” who take sound ecological ideals and “enforce” them with guerilla tactics. We have also begun research into a group called the Club of Rome. This organization has been around since the early 1970ʼs and has a membership body which includes some of the most powerful, wealthy, and influential public figures in the world. They have an extremely environmentally liberal manifesto, which was expanded upon in a book they published in the 1970ʼs. Especially interesting is an idea from the book where they suggest, and even advocate the artificial creation of crises or the “suggestion of crises” in public perception to further the adoption of the Clubʼs ideals. The book specifically mentions “creating and/or widely publicizing” extreme water shortages and storms and global warming, a relatively early mention of this phenomena, considering the publication date. Lastly, here is no question that evolving environmental standards, trends, and legislation affect the practice of designing spaces in the landscape we will discuss the environmental movement within the context of the landscape architecture profession.