In honor of President’s Day, we’re showcasing the top 5 of our country’s most environmentally friendly presidents! Over our 200 or so years of being of a sovereign nation, we’ve had 44 presidents. 44 ideas that defined what is or is not protected. 44 ideas that created environmental protection and priorities or took them away. 44 is a pretty vast amount of presidential policies to go through. That’s why we’re focusing on the 5 best. There really isn’t a better day to acknowledge a few men who had great ideas to protect our amber waves of grain and majestic purple mountains.
1. Jimmy Carter
"Every act of energy conservation… is more than just common sense: I tell you it is an act of patriotism." – Jimmy Carter, “Crisis of Confidence” speech, July, 1979
By far, our 39th President was our greenest. As some of you know, Carter’s Presidency was plagued by mounting inflation and rising energy costs. With the oil crisis of 1979, it’s no wonder why Carter pushed for cutting reliance on foreign oil through means of developing alternative energy and conservation. He installed solar panels on the roof of the White House—which were later torn by Reagan—used a wood stove to heat his quarters, and kept the thermostat at 65 degrees in the winter. In 1977, he created the Department of Energy in order to establish a national energy policy and promote clean and alternative fuels.
2. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
"To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed." – Theodore Roosevelt, seventh State of the Union address, December, 1907
Most of the American population can recognize or identify with Teddy Roosevelt as being an avid outdoors man Thus, it makes sense that he consistently pushed Congress for wilderness protection, used the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 to set aside 150 million acres of forest as public domains, and oversaw the creation of the U.S. Forest Service. Under Teddy’s Presidency, there were 50 wildlife refuges and 5 national parks created. By the end of Teddy’s time in office, ideas of good resource stewardship and respect for nature were sown into our nation’s consciousness.
3. Bill Clinton
"(George H. W. Bush) won't take the lead in protecting the environment and creating new jobs in environmental technologies for the 21st century, but I will." – Bill Clinton, “A Place Called Hope” Speech, July, 1992
Despite having Al Gore as his Vice President, most people wished that Clinton’s Presidency was greener than it turned out. Nevertheless, good things for the environment did come out of his time in office. He increased protection for old-growth forests and wetlands, finalized a rule that banned road building on nearly 60 million acres of wilderness in national forests. Even the budget for the EPA was increased and environmental standards were strengthened. In the end, even if he sold out on a few key issues, he did more for our environment than most other presidents.
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." – FDR’s letter to state governors, February, 1937
Though FDR may not have been has committed to the environment as his cousin Teddy, he made lasting contributions to a greener country. Considering that his presidency was marked by two of the greatest catastrophes in our history –the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl—FDR put people to work and protected the landscape. Part of his New Deal, more than 2.5 million Americans planted millions of trees, opened summer camps, improved parks and trails, and battled soil erosion. Wildlife management became a serious political issue for the first time under FDR. Whether these acts were done out of necessity or genuine want, FDR left a lasting imprint on our views of environmental protection.
5. Lyndon B. Johnson
"There is no excuse—and we should call a spade a spade—for chemical companies and oil refineries using our major rivers as pipelines for toxic waste. There is no excuse for communities to use other people’s rivers as a dump for their raw sewage." - Lyndon B. Johnson on the Water Quality Act of 1965
LBJ is definitely more known for his role in the Vietnam War, but at least his environment policies were fairly good. Johnson’s “Great Society” program included the protection of the environment while supporting urban renewal, beautification, and conservation. In 1964 LBJ signed the Wilderness Act, which protected more than 9 million acres of federal land. Though, LBJ’s first lady, Lady Bird, was the more so the green advocate. She promoted parks and beautification projects, worked to protect and plant millions of wildflowers. Overall, LBJ (and his wife) were one of the more environmentally conscious pairs to enter the White House.
Agree or disagree, these were some of our more environmentally conscious presidents out of our 44 total. So this President's Day, let's take a step back to not only appreciate what our President's have done for our rights, but for our environment as well. What President's do you think should or shouldn't be on this list?
"Every act of energy conservation… is more than just common sense: I tell you it is an act of patriotism." – Jimmy Carter, “Crisis of Confidence” speech, July, 1979
By far, our 39th President was our greenest. As some of you know, Carter’s Presidency was plagued by mounting inflation and rising energy costs. With the oil crisis of 1979, it’s no wonder why Carter pushed for cutting reliance on foreign oil through means of developing alternative energy and conservation. He installed solar panels on the roof of the White House—which were later torn by Reagan—used a wood stove to heat his quarters, and kept the thermostat at 65 degrees in the winter. In 1977, he created the Department of Energy in order to establish a national energy policy and promote clean and alternative fuels.
2. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
"To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed." – Theodore Roosevelt, seventh State of the Union address, December, 1907
Most of the American population can recognize or identify with Teddy Roosevelt as being an avid outdoors man Thus, it makes sense that he consistently pushed Congress for wilderness protection, used the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 to set aside 150 million acres of forest as public domains, and oversaw the creation of the U.S. Forest Service. Under Teddy’s Presidency, there were 50 wildlife refuges and 5 national parks created. By the end of Teddy’s time in office, ideas of good resource stewardship and respect for nature were sown into our nation’s consciousness.
3. Bill Clinton
"(George H. W. Bush) won't take the lead in protecting the environment and creating new jobs in environmental technologies for the 21st century, but I will." – Bill Clinton, “A Place Called Hope” Speech, July, 1992
Despite having Al Gore as his Vice President, most people wished that Clinton’s Presidency was greener than it turned out. Nevertheless, good things for the environment did come out of his time in office. He increased protection for old-growth forests and wetlands, finalized a rule that banned road building on nearly 60 million acres of wilderness in national forests. Even the budget for the EPA was increased and environmental standards were strengthened. In the end, even if he sold out on a few key issues, he did more for our environment than most other presidents.
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." – FDR’s letter to state governors, February, 1937
Though FDR may not have been has committed to the environment as his cousin Teddy, he made lasting contributions to a greener country. Considering that his presidency was marked by two of the greatest catastrophes in our history –the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl—FDR put people to work and protected the landscape. Part of his New Deal, more than 2.5 million Americans planted millions of trees, opened summer camps, improved parks and trails, and battled soil erosion. Wildlife management became a serious political issue for the first time under FDR. Whether these acts were done out of necessity or genuine want, FDR left a lasting imprint on our views of environmental protection.
5. Lyndon B. Johnson
"There is no excuse—and we should call a spade a spade—for chemical companies and oil refineries using our major rivers as pipelines for toxic waste. There is no excuse for communities to use other people’s rivers as a dump for their raw sewage." - Lyndon B. Johnson on the Water Quality Act of 1965
LBJ is definitely more known for his role in the Vietnam War, but at least his environment policies were fairly good. Johnson’s “Great Society” program included the protection of the environment while supporting urban renewal, beautification, and conservation. In 1964 LBJ signed the Wilderness Act, which protected more than 9 million acres of federal land. Though, LBJ’s first lady, Lady Bird, was the more so the green advocate. She promoted parks and beautification projects, worked to protect and plant millions of wildflowers. Overall, LBJ (and his wife) were one of the more environmentally conscious pairs to enter the White House.
Agree or disagree, these were some of our more environmentally conscious presidents out of our 44 total. So this President's Day, let's take a step back to not only appreciate what our President's have done for our rights, but for our environment as well. What President's do you think should or shouldn't be on this list?
best,
danielle p.
