John Muir
Part a
John Muir will be remembered as the capitalist of environmentalism with his initiatives dating from the eighties still of high recognition to the present date. John Muir was born on April 21 1838 in Durban Scotland. He attended the university of Wisconsin until 1863 after which he dropped out and took on to matters that he felt more passionate about and that he thought would build a reputation for him. John saw himself as an inventor an ideology that prompted him to dropping out of school. His passion on nature was birthed rather unconventionally from his place of work where he almost lost his eye while carrying out a mechanical procedure. This occasion scared him to the shift in resolutions. His passion for nature took him on long hiking escapades that at times would last a year as was the case when he took a whooping 1000 mile nature walk from Indiana to Florid and traveled via boat to Cuba to arrive at San Francisco a year later from the escapade. He documented his walks in a journal a thousand mile walk to the gulf .Muir described his nature walks as an approximate to education terming them as the “university of wilderness”. He took an interest to glaciers and forests as popularly known from his travel to Yosemite Valley in California a valley that is highly associated to his life long achievements. He went on to play a part in the setting up of boundaries in the area. Yosemite is regarded as one of the most outstanding creations that graces the surface of the earth with an exceptional valley as a compliment to its outstanding nature a site that is not hard to miss even to an untrained eye. John Muir passion to the wilderness defines the greater part of his character to the point where he disregarded the fact that humans should have the upper hand in deciding their outcome as resources for their livelihood as was the perception of most of the environmentalists at the time. His proactive measures led to the establishment of a wilderness free from industrialism by federal law though he did not live to see his achievement as it came to pass a decade after his death.
Part b
John Muir was a man driven by ambition and that did not bend over to defeat even when it looked inevitable. His initiatives can be considered some what far fetched though his plight to their occurrence carried great magnitude to disregard inevitability. He was a man with focus and though his passions seemed to get the better part of him, he attended to them with precision and vigilance to the point of turning them to events worth the means. His overlook on nature though to a disturbing proportion where he placed more importance to it than to human life might have been the only way that such a site as Yosemite came to existence.
Gifford Pinchot
Part a
Conservation is a more subtle initiative that entails to the usage of natural resources on a guided proportion that ensures that they remain un-depleted. The method of environmentalism has garnered a wide audience from politicians and the public at large mostly mainly from its flexible nature and its emphasis on a somewhat shared meaning between the two parties. His tenure as the chief of the U.S forest service started at 1898 and terminated at 1910. Pinchot was chosen to spear head a campaign against the abuse of resources such as excessive lumbering and the adoption of large portions of land of public nature to commercial farming. Pinchot initiatives gained a higher respect when the president Roosevelt the year 1905 established a branch dedicated to forestry within the department of agriculture. Unlike other environmentalists who were hell-bent on discrediting human initiatives on natural resources, Pinchot’s approach is directed to devising of theories that will allow for human initiatives to natural resources but on a controlled allowing for co-linearity between the two. Pinchot described the possibility of such an initiative being attained as to rely on common sense that would directly influence national efficiency. The application of conservation according to Pinchot would go a long way to establishing fundamental principles that would be effective to both forest and mineral accountability. He bluntly put the level of interest to initiatives and to factors that affect human life as only being relevant to their nature if they had aspects of conservation in them.
Part b
Even though Pinchot’s initiatives were to some level drove by political ambition, it is evident that he kept true to his calling. The method of conservation is more a reactive method than a proactive method and as such is better applicable by word of mouth than it would be if actual presentations were involved. With that said, my perception on Pinchot’s initiatives were more applicable by his ability to reach masses through his political will thus making his initiatives on conservation suitable from his point of view guaranteeing increased possibility of aimed outcome being achievable.
Aldo Leopold
Part a
Aldo Leopold is well recognized as the top of list of influential American preservationists. Aldo conceived of the excessive abuse of natural resources for commercial purposes and as the officer of the US forest service from 1920 to 1928, was dismayed by the level of mismanagement that was in existence. Aldo is credited for being the initiator of the first wilderness as was termed in 1924. Aldo was also well known for his proactive initiatives on the preservation of wildlife with campaign groups such as the Audubon society under his direction as at 1935. Constant to his bid of achieving his goals, he founded his own society the wilderness society to maximize on the possibility of the world he hoped to achieve. Aldo realizes that humans are to blame for the depreciating level of wild animals though he also places great importance to their input in his quest for their protection and conservation. Leopold’s thesis on concepts on land ethics can be traced to be having originated from him home place. His passion to nature can be described as that of a hopeless romantic with him spending a better part of his day in the woods of Iowa. His conversance to the wilderness at the early stage of his life and the ability to express his thought in writing account to his proficiency in the area and led him to perusing a degree in forestry. Leopold book “thinking like a mountain” acts as reference to a variety of concepts that are applied in the management mans relationship to the land.
Part b
His work-incorporated concepts of varying nature from zoology to biology and to forestry all combined to create a multilateral overview of adaptability and conceived eventualities associated with human life and their interplay with the environment. Leopold described the bond between man and land as none existent if factors of love, respect and admiration are not put into account. His view on the correlation of land and humans forms a basis of reference as to how the two should coexist ergo was providing a blue print to the appropriate use of resources with the respect that they deserve.
George Perkins marsh
Part a
George Perkins marsh was born in Vermont the year 1801 month march 15 a place were he first developed his passion for the environment. His various responsibilities and occupations namely as a diplomat in Constantinople and Greece in the years 1849 and 1854, a lawyer in his hometown and a scholar saw him travel from Europe and the Mediterranean area frequently. He later went on to become an American ambassador to Italy. His works as an author included his book man and nature that was first published in 1864 which was his only project until his death with him releasing the final edition in the year 1885. His book played a big part in the conservation movement as it represented the first of the kind giving him the alias” prophet of modern conservation”. The books main thesis was based upon his realization that the people of Vermont had lead to the depreciation of the land through their human activities which included the cutting down of trees which led to continuous erosion and flooding. He saw the saw effect of human destructive nature in Europe perpetuated even to a more profound degree. The abuse of land prompted him to take action even though it was not part of his plan. He termed the purpose of land as “usufruct” meaning (to use the fruit of)in essence to mean that land was not for consumption or waste that resources should be preserved ton ensure that they are used by the future generation. Marsh influence on the environment superseded his reputation to the point of recognition as the one responsible for the creation of the mental image that humans must have to allow them preserve the environment.
Part b
George Perkins marsh compares the existence that is described by ancient times of Rome with his present time and is amazed by the level of deterioration that has affected the land. George appears to be genuinely concern of the level of destruction that man is capable of succumbing to at a subconscious level. Realizing this, for his love to the environment, he engages in the campaign of education through publishing of books that have detailed information on mans flaws and the remedies to the problems.
