Environmental Conservationism

The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform that grew from the 1890s to the 1920s. Social reformers and journalists, like Jane Addams, Jacob Riis, and Ida Tarbell were some of the powerful voices for progressivism. “They concentrated on exposing the evils of corporate greed, combating fear of immigrants, and urging Americans to think hard about what democracy meant.” Many progressive reformers wanted to end corruption in the government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions. It was also an era of conservationists. Conservationists are people who protect and preserve the environment and wildlife. Throughout the Progressive Era, there were many conservationists who wrote and described nature, but the most well-known figure in conservation was John Muir. John Muir worked to protect Earth’s beauty by traveling and exploring nature, co-founding the Sierra Club, and by influencing others through his writings and by showing some of the most important people how the wildlife was magnificent.

Conservation was the most important reform, from this time period, since it worked towards protecting the United State’s physical environment which leads to obtaining the essential resources of nature, preserving the naturality of the planet, and living a higher quality of life.

In the early 20th century, the movement known as Progressivism, which promoted advancements in research, technology, and economic growth, worked to improve American society and to bring awareness to the destruction of the environment. Many reform activities concerned with the conservation of resources and protection of land areas were widely promoted. The 1920s, also known as the “roaring twenties”, gave way to an increase in economic growth and prosperity, resulting in part from the rise of the automobile industry. Americans were infatuated with this device, and the boom of the automobile industry coinciding with the invention of countless other devices such as the lawn mover, caused the steady decline of global awareness. The term “postindustrial

The status of nature and the environment in American society had not been given much priority in the political sphere due to it being deeming trivial, and its proponents basing their argument on moral and aesthetic grounds, yet the surge of scientific data and new information through the birth of the field of ecology, would prioritize the status of America's natural environment in the political process, and lashed back against the increasingly polluted world Americans lived in, on a legal level. Rather than a spiritual belief in the divinity of nature's beauty, environmentalists drew upon a new rationale, being the new science of ecology, that grew through the support and funding of government agencies, educational institutions as well as

The "Conservation Movement" was one of the change developments in America that emerge during the Progressive period from 1890 - 1920. Roosevelt was a pioneer in the "Conservation Movement" battling to end the misuse of natural resources and preservation was a foundation of his residential strategy during his administration. The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation. Conservation is a noteworthy issue far and wide with the effects that people have on regular environments through exercises from mining, constructing new urban communities and a global warming. There are numerous conservation gatherings and endeavors that hall for the protection of specific species (for instance, the polar bear, tigers, and rhino) while others

Many people today do not understand or appreciate the lasting effects that the environmental movement of the 1960s brought to our world. The things that most people immediately associate with the 1960s usually include the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam, the space race, student protests and the hippie generation, underscoring the fact that the environmental movement is often put aside relative these seemingly more iconic symbols of this decade. The 1960s certainly did not mark the first time that efforts were made in the United States to change attitudes, policies, and views regarding the environment. Many trace the intellectual roots of modern-day environmentalism all the way back to the 19th century American writers and philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, most notably the latter’s 1854 work, Walden. President Theodore Roosevelt set aside more public land for national parks than all of his predecessors combined. His policies and views about conservation remained dominate for decades (nps.org). The efforts made by these figures in the mid-1800s through the early part of the 20th century were crucial for paving the way for what would come in later years. The main reason for such progress in the environmental movement in the 1960s is because of influential leaders, the prominent role of media, and a generation of people who were not afraid to initiate change.

I doubt anyone will contest that environmentalism is an elitist field. There are many reasons for this. To be honest, I am a big ole city slicker. But in field research is necessary and I know it won't always be comfortable; I assume Georgia in the middle of the summer will be uncomfortable. I also have yet to do hardcore aquatic bio research. I did take a full year in General Chemistry, and I have done environmental lab work, but in neither class did I ever feel a hundred percent comfortable. I think this program can provide something my classes could not: comfort in a scientific environment.

Natural resources include everything that the Earth provides that we need to live and survive. Knowing the importance of the natural resources to human life we must be aware that natural resources cannot be replenished once they have been depleted. We need to be very cautious that some natural resources we use are more easily renewed than others (Media: 1.5 Resource, n.d.).

To be an environmentalist means an individual advocates the preservation of natural resources and helps insure the natural beauty of the land. Unfortunately, too many West Virginia officials take the state’s natural resources for granted and are leading its people to believe there is an endless source of cheap energy in mountain top removal mining. As a West Virginia native this writer knows all to well what happens when big business wins out over land preservation. The most disturbing sight this writer has seen is the aftermath of mountain top removal mining.

Whether individuals choose to believe in it or not, environmental destruction is a very real and apparent social problem that needs to be addressed before it is too late to save the Earth. Numerous factors such as the climate change, disposal of waste, deforestation, and the quality of air and water impact the destruction of our world. The majority of the blame for our Earth’s deterioration falls on the human race, however, some of the blame does fall on industries, that for example may improperly dispose of their waste. Because of the actions and behaviors of humans as a whole, the environment is suffering irreversible damage. The small population of people that do advocate for change or engage in environment-friendly activities is not enough to help fix the environment alone.

Numerous sensitization campaigns have been launched, all over the world, with the aim of promoting awareness of the rising cases of ecological destruction. These campaigns have not only targeted human activities but also business operations. Shaw (22), highlights the major environmental challenges faced in the modern world; most notoriously, water and air pollution, which he says, kills crops and vegetation, damages the ozone layer and threatens people’s lives and health. Businesses play a massive role in contributing towards ecological damage. According to Shaw (22), “businesses damage the environment when they take natural resources from the earth and dispose of waste” (4). Most sensitization campaigns, however, argue on environmental conservation from a human interest perspective. Shaw, for example, states that industrial chemicals harm animals and plants which consequently causes poisoning and possible death to human beings (75). This article, therefore, aims at establishing that, apart from their interest to human beings, plants and animal’s rights should also be conserved for their own sole interest.

Since the 20th century, and the birth of the consumer society, the relation man-nature totally changed, man doesn’t only need nature in order to survive, but he needs it to satisfy different inexistent needs. The issue of energy is almost the most important, as it was said previously, evolution and energy are two reliable term, concerning man. The most famous ones are fossil energies, for years, man has used these energies indefinitely, and this phenomenon has grown abruptly because of our society. A new reliance was created, man plundered every resource on Earth, and a new dependence was born, nowadays, nature almost needs man.

Conservation is needed to protect, improve, and use our natural resources wisely, so we can have the greatest economic value for the present and future. As citizens of Southwest, Kansas, it is our duty to conserve water for the current and future use of agriculture, municipalities, oil, and gas fields.

As the western world having reached a certain development of both society and economy, they transfer their passion to a new and growing movement which is the environmental protection that commonly involves wildlife and wilderness. This kind of transfer in social ideology can be understood as a transfer from anthropocentrism to biocentrism or aesthetic anthropocentrism. Several agencies such as WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) were created to seek opportunities to help and provide funds for protecting nature. However, as Guha (1989) pointed out, the emphasis on nature is positively harmful when applied to less-developed world. Guha (1989) also stated that the wholesale transfer of a movement culturally rooted in American conservation history can merely lead to the social uprooting of populations in rest parts of the world. Therefore, the new environmental agenda of rich, developed nations might undermine the interests and priorities of people who live in the third world.

Conservation of the environment are at the top of environmental group’s mind nowadays. As much attention as this subject gets from them, it gets just as much ignoring by the many people. Most of them feel compelled to help or contribute, yet few seldom do carry out their intentions. This is a very serious subject that needs to receive immediate and full attention from the government and the general public. Only they can truly make a difference.