RNR 200 - Conservation of Natural Environments

A Companion to American Environmental History gathers together a comprehensive collection of over 30 essays that examine the evolving and diverse field of American environmental history. Provides a complete historiography of American environmental history Brings the field up-to-date to reflect the latest trends and encourages new directions for the field Includes the work of path-breaking environmental historians, from the founders of the field, to  contributions from innovative young scholars Takes stock of the discipline through five topically themed parts, with essays ranging from American Indian Environmental Relations to Cities and Suburbs

Sixty years ago, an upsurge of social movements protested the ecological harms of industrial capitalism. In subsequent decades, environmentalism consolidated into forms of management and business strategy that aimed to tackle ecological degradation while enabling new forms of green economic growth. However, the focus on spaces and species to be protected saw questions of human work and histories of colonialism pushed out of view. This book traces a counter-history of modern environmentalism from the 1960s to the present day. It focuses on claims concerning land, labour and social reproduction arising at important moments in the history of environmentalism made by feminist, anti-colonial, Indigenous, workers' and agrarian movements. Many of these movements did not consider themselves 'environmental,' and yet they offer vital ways forward in the face of escalating ecological damage and social injustice.

The collected wisdom of some of the world's most influential environmental movers and shakers is brought together in this one book. The chosen gurus consists both of "thinkers" - those who have set the agenda, and of "doers" - those business people who made the green cause their mission long before it became so prominent. The book covers a broad range of environmental issues as they apply to business, including the economic viability of choosing green routes. Interviewees include energy guru Amory Lovins, former Friends of the Earth Vice Chair Tony Juniper, diplomat Sir Crispin Tickell and business leader Ray Anderson, among others. The cutting edge thinking of the book's contributors provides businesses with the information they need when considering how to change in a green direction. The end result is an illuminating insight into both general views on sustainability as well as good and bad business decisions made in the search for sustainability. The full list of green gurus include: Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface Inc, one of TIME Magazine's 'Heroes of the Environment' James Cameron, founder of Executive Director and Vice-Chairman of Climate Change Capital (CCC) Paul Dickinson, CEO of the Carbon Disclosure Project John Elkington, founding partner and director of Volans, co-founder of SustainAbility, world authority of sustainable development, author of The Green Consumer Guide John Grant, author of The Green Marketing Manifesto, frequent conference speaker and prolific blogger Denis Hayes, President and CEO of The Bullitt Foundation, Chair of the International Earth Day Network Gary Hirshberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stonyfield Farm, the world's largest producer of organic yogurt Tony Juniper, former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth (FoE), environmental campaigner, author and commentator Professor Sir David King, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford Amory B. Lovins, environmentalist, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute Professor Wangari Maathai, environmental and political activist, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Ricardo Navarro, founder and director of the Salvadoran Centre for Appropriate Technology (CESTA), winner of the prestigious Goldman prize Dr Vandana Shiva, physicist, environmental activist and author Jeffrey  Swartz , CEO of Timberland Worldwide Sir Crispin Tickell, diplomat, academic, environmentalist, author

From the Columbian Exchange beginning in 1492, the development of slavery as a Southern institution, and the westward movement to the dust bowl, the Endangered Species Act, and the destruction caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, human interaction with the environment in America has been continuous, open-ended, and dynamic. How communities and individuals have used land, water, and natural resources has profoundly shaped U.S. history, influencing settlement patterns, social relations, cultural life, economic systems, and political institutions. In the past generation, scholars have examined these human-environmental interactions in myriad ways, giving birth to the exciting, new field of environmental history. By shedding light on new issues and recasting familiar views of major events and developments in our nation's past, environmental historians have reinterpreted American history in a way that is gripping, immediate, and timely. ...All articles are written and signed by leading environmental historians, scholars, and experts, many of them members of the American Society for Environmental History (ASEH). The Board of Advisers is composed of a wide array of distinguished historians, and many of them are ASEH founders and members.

First Along the River provides students with a balanced, historical perspective on the history of the environmental movement in relation to major social and political events in U.S. history, from the pre-colonial era to the present. The book highlights important people and events, places critical concepts in context, and shows the impact of government, industry, and population on the American landscape. Comprehensive yet brief, First Along the River discusses the religious and philosophical beliefs that shaped Americans' relationship to the environment, traces the origins and development of government regulations that impact Americans' use of natural resources, and shows why popular environmental groups were founded and how they changed over time. The fourth edition includes up-to-date coverage of the environmental movement and developments since 2000, including the second term of George W. Bush and the administration of Barack Obama.

'Think globally, act locally' has become a call to environmentalist mobilization, proposing a closer connection between global concerns, local issues and individual responsibility. A History of Environmentalism explores this dialectic relationship, with ten contributors from a range of disciplines providing a history of environmentalism which frames global themes and narrates local stories.Each of the chapters in this volume addresses specific struggles in the history of environmental movements, for example over national parks, species protection, forests, waste, contamination, nuclear energy and expropriation. A diverse range of environments and environmental actors are covered, including the communities in the Amazonian Forest, the antelope in Tibet, atomic power plants in Europe and oil and politics in the Niger Delta. The chapters demonstrate how these conflicts make visible the intricate connections between local and global, the body and the environment, and power and nature. A History of Environmentalism tells us much about transformations of cultural perceptions and ways of production and consuming, as well as ecological and social changes. More than offering an exhaustive picture of the entire environmentalist movement, A History of Environmentalism highlights the importance of the experience of environmentalism within local communities. It offers a worldwide and polyphonic perspective, making it key reading for students and scholars of global and environmental history and political ecology.

Key Thinkers on the Environment is a unique guide to environmental thinking through the ages. Joy A. Palmer Cooper and David E. Cooper, themselves distinguished authors on environmental matters, have assembled a team of expert contributors to summarize and analyse the thinking of diverse and stimulating figures from around the world and from ancient times to the present day. Among those included are: philosophers such as Rousseau, Kant, Spinoza and Heidegger activists such as Chico Mendes and Wangari Maathai literary giants such as Virgil, Goethe and Wordsworth major religious and spiritual figures such as Buddha and St Francis of Assissi eminent scientists such as Darwin, Lovelock and E.O. Wilson. Lucid, scholarly and informative, the essays contained within this volume offer a fascinating overview of humankind's view and understanding of the natural world.

Modern American Environmentalists profiles the lives and contributions of nearly 140 major figures during the twentieth-century environmental movement. Included are iconic environmentalists such as Rachel Carson, E. O. Wilson, Gifford Pinchot, and Al Gore, and important but less expected names, including John Steinbeck and Allen Ginsberg. The entries recount how each individual became active in environmental conservation, detail his or her significant contributions, trace the influence of each on future efforts, and discuss the person's legacy. The individuals selected for the book displayed either an unparalleled commitment to the conservation, preservation, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment or made a major contribution to the growth of environmentalism during its first century. With a foreword by environmental historian Everett I. Mendolsohn, a time line of key environmental events, a bibliography of groundbreaking works, and an index organized by specialization, this biographical encyclopedia is a handy and complete guide to the major people involved in the modern American environmental movement.

Rethinking the American Environmental Movement post-1945 turns a fresh interpretive lens on the past, drawing on a wide range of new histories of environmental activism to analyze the actions of those who created the movement and those who tried to thwart them. Concentrating on the decades since World War II, environmental historian Ellen Griffith Spears explores environmentalism as a "field of movements" rooted in broader social justice activism. Noting major legislative accomplishments, strengths, and contributions, as well as the divisions within the ranks, the book reveals how new scientific developments, the nuclear threat, and pollution, as well as changes in urban living spurred activism among diverse populations. The book outlines the key precursors, events, participants, and strategies of the environmental movement, and contextualizes the story in the dramatic trajectory of U.S. history after World War II. The result is a synthesis of American environmental politics that one reader called both "ambitious in its scope and concise in its presentation." This book provides a succinct overview of the American environmental movement and is the perfect introduction for students or scholars seeking to understand one of the largest social movements of the twentieth century up through the robust climate movement of today.

Given the ubiquity of environmental rhetoric in the modern world, it's easy to think that the meaning of the terms environment and environmentalism are and always have been self-evident. But in Surroundings, we learn that the environmental past is much more complex than it seems at first glance. In this wide-ranging history of the concept, Etienne S. Benson uncovers the diversity of forms that environmentalism has taken over the last two centuries and opens our eyes to the promising new varieties of environmentalism that are emerging today.   Through a series of richly contextualized case studies, Benson shows us how and why particular groups of people--from naturalists in Napoleonic France in the 1790s to global climate change activists today--adopted the concept of environment and adapted it to their specific needs and challenges. Bold and deeply researched, Surroundings challenges much of what we think we know about what an environment is, why we should care about it, and how we can protect it.

This is the story of four visionaries who profoundly shaped the world we live in today. Together, these women showed what one person speaking truth to power can do. With a keen eye for historical detail, Andrea Barnet traces the arc of each woman's career and explores how their work collectively changed the course of history. Consummate outsiders, each prevailed against powerful and mostly male adversaries while also anticipating the disaffections of the emerging counterculture.