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Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was a well respected philosopher who studied theories confirmed by Darwin. He was also the first person to develop the theory of Forest succession. Thoreau published many books and essays on the laws of nature, Thoreau was one of a few philosophers in his time period to believe that the facts behind science are more true than any religion. -
Yellowstone National Park
Due to continued reports and the work of explorers, Ulysses S Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Law into action. This act granted that “the headwaters of the Yellowstone River is reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale”. Basically, this land was considered too valuable to develop. The point of this park is to preserve and protect the natural ecosystem and its organisms that live there. -
Theodore Roosevelt
Along with being the youngest president in U.S history he had many accomplishments during his presidential term. He ended the coal strike which stopped the burning of coal which helped keep our atmosphere cleaner. He put environmental conservation high on the list of the national agenda. Theodore Roosevelt focused on preserving national parks and preserving environments certain species needed to survive. -
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
The Act is responsible for the safety regulation of most types of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics. The act applied similar penalties to the marketing of "adulterated" drugs. The act also banned misbranding of food and drugs. Because of this safer foods and drugs are being produced and less likelihood of getting sick or having some sort of disease. -
Al Gore
Vice President from 1992 to 2001, he started the climate reality project which Raises awareness for the climate crisis we are faced with. Al Gore brought to light the urgency of global warming and proposed that global warming was a direct effect from pollution. He would travel all over the united states and give presentations about global warming, he appeared on television multiple times and lead a TED talk on the topic. -
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was a environmental scientist who spent his days researching deforestation and the effects of predators in an ecosystem. What started his studies into the effects of a wolf in an ecosystem was when Aldo and his partner shot at a pack of wolves and wounded an elder in the pack. If the wolves were not there them the coyotes would have nothing to eat and the deer population would be on a steep incline. This was described in his essay thinking like a mountain. -
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act was designed to control air pollution on a national level. The Act lowered pollution and protected the health of families and workers. This was done by regulating emission of pollutants that endanger the public. State and local governments also monitor and enforce Clean Air Act regulations with the help of the EPA. Ever since the Act was created market opportunities appeared that have helped to innovate cleaner technologies. -
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was the first woman to work a professional position at the bureau of fisheries. She wrote many novels about our environment and addressing problems that are hurting our environment. One of her most influential pieces was the book silent spring. This book described how the use of DDT as a pesticide to kill mosquitos was killing the bird population in the U.S. After she has passed away from cancer scientist checked her facts and proved her to be right. -
The First Earth Day
20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. -
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, is responsible for protecting worker health and safety in the United States. Congress enacted the OSHA because of accidents the workplace has. Before the act was created the number of workplace accidents resulted in 14,000 worker deaths and 2.5 million disabled workers. Since then, OSHA has cut the work-fatality rate by more than half, and it has significantly reduced the overall injury and illness rates in industries. -
The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States. This gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs. From this it helped restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. It has stopped billions of pounds of pollution from the water, and dramatically increased the number of waterways that are safe from swimming and fishing. -
The Love Canal
In the 1920’s, the Love Canal was turned into a municipal and chemical waste site. Then, in 1953, the Hooker Chemical Company, who owned and operated the property, covered the canal with earth and sold it to the city for one dollar. In the late 50’s, about a 100 homes and an elementary school was built on top of the site. The chemicals underground seeped into the basements of the homes and caused cancers, birth defects, miscarriages, and genetic disabilities. -
Chernobyl
The accident was a result of a flawed reactor design that was operated by poorly trained workers. The explosion killed 30 workers within 3 months and caused several other deaths. Acute Radiation syndrome was found in 237 people on sight while large numbers of childhood thyroid cancers were found shortly after the explosion. This led to many changes in safety culture and in industry corporation. -
Oil Pollution Act
Oil Pollution Act strengthened EPA's ability to prevent and respond to oil spills. The Act addressed the wide range of problems associated with preventing, responding to, and paying for oil pollution incidents in waters of the U.S. It created prevention, response, liability, and compensation. The OPA also prepares and plan for oil spill response on a regional scale. The oil spill cases reduced significantly after the Act was passed. -
BP Oil Spill
The BP Oil spill is undoubtedly the worst oil spill in American history. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and sank, causing it to leak oil and gas onto the ocean floor, immediately killing 11 people. By the time the spill was stopped in July, about 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked onto the gulf. As much as 20% of the spill ended up on top of and in the sea floor. This caused ecosystem damage and hurt ocean wildlife.
