Era of Earth Day
Nature and Americans
Water Pollution
Disasters
Several major oil spills
in 1967
Torrey Canyon disaster
First
supertanker spill
Santa Barbara Oil Spill
Oil well
blowout, Santa Barbara Channel, 1969
235,000
gal. over coastline, 800 sq.mi. of ocean
Kills
1000s of birds & animals, several grey whales
A River Burns!
Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River fire,
1969
Environmental controversies
Alaska
pipeline, 1969-1973
Supersonic
Transport (SST), 1969-1971
Everglades
Jetport, 1969
Cross
Florida Barge Canal, 1969-1971
A New Ecological Awareness
Focus
changes from human needs to nature
Back to nature
No
plastics or chemicals
Natural
foods, natural fibers, natural products
New
edition of Nearings’ Living the Good Life, 1970
New
“Waldens”: the rural commune movement
Explosion
of backpacking, camping, outdoor activities
Thinking Ecologically
Living
responsibly
René
Dubos: “Think globally; act locally”
Recycling
centers established
Energy-efficient
houses
Buying
gas-efficient automobiles
Back to
the bicycle
Bringing
back public transportation
Amtrak,
1970
Technology
for the people
Whole
Earth Catalog
The
personal computer
Skyrocketing membership
National
Wildlife Federation: largest, richest
1970: 30%
hunters; 20% opposed to all hunting
National
Audubon Society
1965–75:
8X growth; PR & glossy magazine
Sierra
Club: Most influential & best-known
David
Brower steers club to national prominence
Sierra
Club Books: Ansel Adams & Eliot Porter
$10
million total sales by 1969
Couldn’t
delegate, overspent, ignored directors, lost tax-exempt status which hurt large
contributions
Ousted
1969
Founded
Friends of the Earth, John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, &
Earth Island Institute