Since yesterday was Earth Day, we decided to look back at the history of environmentalism on Ship's campus for this week's "Throwback Thursday." Concern for the environment in the United States dates back to the early 1900s, as seen in Theodore Roosevelt's focus on preserving national parks and landscapes. Environmental activism emerged in the 1960s alongside the civil and women's rights movements. Earth Day was declared a holiday on April 22, 1970, marking the anniversary of what many consider to be the birth of the modern environmental movement.
One way Ship students expressed environmental awareness in 1970 was through publications such as the underground newspaper the
Shippensburg Free Press. Although this paper was only published for a limited time in the early 1970s, it focused on hot-button issues of the day such as the Vietnam War, abortion, race, drugs, alcohol, ecology, and pollution. The two images above are brochures from the time period, advocating for a call to action, specifically against air pollution. Ship's student newspaper the
Slate also premiered a new column, "Up in the Air (and in the Streams)" in the April 8, 1970 issue that printed information and opinions concerning the environment. Pessimistic predictions of the future were even included, such as that in a decade people living in cities would have to wear gas masks because the air quality would be so bad! Today a heightened sense of environmental stewardship on campus remains with the single-stream recycling program and annual Earth Day celebration.
Want to learn more about Ship's history? No need to wait for the next Throwback Thursday! Visit
Archives & Special Collections during our open research hours, or contact us via e-mail:
specialcollections@ship.edu or phone: 717-477-1516.
Sources:
http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement
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