Environmentalism Then and Now Is Going Green New? You be the Judge…

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Then Pennsylvania governor William Penn requires colonists to conserve one tree for every five cut down. 1681

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Then Benjamin Franklin petitioned the Pennsylvania Assembly to stop waste dumping in the Philadelphia harbor. He said it caused “poor smells,” disease, and violated “public rights.” 1739

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Then New York state assembly banned hunting of the heath hen, to save it from extinction. The species is extinct by the early 1900s. 1791

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Then New York city officials appointed Central Park Board of Commissioners to draw up plans for what is now Central Park. 1856

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Then Yellowstone National Park is established. 1872

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Then Chicago passed the first anti-smoke air pollution laws. 1881

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Then First hydroelectric plant opened in Appleton, WI. 1882

Now Great Lakes Compact ensured protection of lake waters from nonregions.

Then Congress authorized the building of O’Shaughnessy Dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley, with fresh water diverted to dry California and west coast. 1913

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Then The first ethanol plant opened in Atchison, KS. The biofuel brand, Agrol, was sold throughout the Midwest with the slogan, “Try a tankful—you’ll be thankful.” 1937

What do you Think? Is environmentalism a new movement? How is today’s environmental movement different from environmentalism in history? How is it similar? How have the government and laws influenced environmentalism in history?