The Environmental Moment 1968-1972

The Environmental Moment is a collection of documents that reveal the significance of the years 1968-1972 to the environmental movement in the United States. With material ranging from short pieces from the Whole Earth Catalog and articles from theVillage Voice to lectures, posters, and government documents, the collection describes the period through the perspective of a diversity of participants, including activists, politicians, scientists, and average citizens. Included are the words of Rachel Carson, but also the National Review, Howard Zahniser on wilderness, Nathan Hare on the Black underclass. The chronological arrangement reveals the coincidence of a multitude of issues that rushed into public consciousness during a critical time in American history.

David Stradling is professor of history at the University of Cincinnati. He is the author ofMaking Mountains: New York City and the Catskills and The Nature of New York: An Environmental History of the Empire State and editor ofConservation in the Progressive Era.