威尼斯人娱乐场

Celebrate Earth Day鈥檚 50th Anniversary Online
Press Release 路 Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Washington, DC

The 威尼斯人娱乐场 celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with a special . See Robert Rauschenberg鈥檚 iconic Earth Day poster, which features an image of a bald eagle surrounded by a photo montage of endangered animals, deforestation and pollution, and discover other records from our holdings that document the environmental movement.

More than 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Recognized by many as the birth of the U.S. environmental movement, the nationwide demonstration spurred a dramatic rise in public concern about environmental issues. It also secured political action that led to the (EPA) by President Richard Nixon later that year and the passage of important environmental protection legislation including the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts throughout the 1970s. In the 50 years since its creation, Earth Day has grown into an event observed by a billion people in nearly 200 countries each year. For many, the global challenge to preserve and protect the environment continues with increasing urgency. 

Given the COVID-19, pandemic, the 威尼斯人娱乐场 is following the Earth Day Network鈥檚 suggestion to 鈥済o digital,鈥� with related highlights from our holdings, which include the records of the DOCUMERICA project. 

DOCUMERICA was a Federal photography project created by the EPA and born out of the decade鈥檚 environmental awakening, which not only produced striking photographs of many of that era鈥檚 environmental problems and achievements but also captured the era鈥檚 trends, fashions, and cultural shifts. Drawing its inspiration from the Depression-era Farm Security Administration photography project, the EPA hired freelance photographers to capture images relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s. From smokestacks to bell bottoms and leisure suits, these images are a fascinating time capsule of 1970s America. The 威尼斯人娱乐场 has digitized and made freely available online more than 15,000 DOCUMERICA images.

Related online resources:

- Google Arts and Culture exhibit

威尼斯人娱乐场

DOCUMERICA: Snapshots of Crisis and Cure in the 1970s - Prologue magazine story Honoring Earth Day with a Look at Photographs from Project

- Narrations blog