In late 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson hired Denis Hayes to organize a national teach-in day about the importance of protecting the environment for future generations. On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held and over 20 million Americans participated via a variety of celebrations and demonstrations. This website is designed to be a companion to the American Experience documentary...

Prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Sustainable Development Timeline traces milestones in the shifting relationship between the environment and development from 1967 to 1997. The Timeline is divided into five year blocks, each of which features milestones in four spheres of interest: Public Awareness; Institution Building; Reports and Publications; and...

Like environmentalists before him (such as John Muir), Aldo Leopold was a passionate advocate for conservationism. While he contributed to many disciplines, perhaps his best-known work remains "A Sand County Almanac", which was published shortly after his death in 1949. Leopold was a professor of game management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and this collection from the University of...