1. Introduction to American Studies Session 11 April 27, 2009 The Environment

2. American attitudes to nature Judeo-Christian foundation: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea …” (Genesis 1:28) New World as paradise – to be revered Pioneer practicality: survival – progress is good, natural, inevitable

3. Preservation Yellowstone National Park, 1872 (first national park in world) – “the best idea America ever had” (Lord Bryce, p. 88) by 1990: 360 different areas visited by over 260 million people every year

4. Environmental problems started early huge deforestation to build homes, cities, create fuel 19 th century - industrialization and push to the west: coal driven 20 th century - the automobile and continued industrialization: oil driven

5. starting in the 1960s … public reaction to dead lakes, rivers from industrial waste vast wilderness areas lost to agriculture and deforestation air pollution in car-centered communities

6. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, 1962 “The earth’s vegetation is part of a web of life in which there are intimate and essential relations between plants and animals. Sometimes we have no choice but to disturb these relationships, but we should do so thoughtfully, with full awareness that what we do may have consequences remote in time and place.”

7. “If the Bill of Rights contains no guarantee that a citizen shall be secure against lethal poisons distributed either by private individuals or by public officials, it is surely only because our forefathers, despite their considerable wisdom and foresight, could conceive of no such problem.” http://www.killian.com/earl/SilentSpringQuotes.html

8. Government solutions Clean Air Act, 1955 – law only starts to be effective in 1960s today, thousands of laws EPA – Environmental Protection Agency (1970) – best protection: large fines and jail time Problem: laws are not specific enough or not enforced activists like Ralph Nader work to bring issues to the public, to the government

9. Environmental problem in the USA What should Americans do about it? Environmental problem in Vietnam What should Vietnamese do about it? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

10. WALL-E response writing – think about what you saw in the opening 10 minutes of WALL-E how does it make you feel (sad, angry, amused)? do you think it’s a possible future for our planet? what do you think we (governments, society, individuals) should do to protect our planet home?