famous scottish environmentalists

Famous Environmentalists | List of the Well-Known - Ranker The duo talked late into the night, slept in the brisk open air of Glacier Point, and were dusted by a fresh snowfall in the morning. Johnson agreed to publish any article Muir wrote on the subject of excluding livestock from the Sierra high country. He also agreed to use his influence to introduce a bill to Congress to make the Yosemite area into a national park, modeled after Yellowstone National Park. He made derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful racist stereotypes, though his views evolved later in his life. He adds that Muir "did not enjoy the work, finding it difficult and tedious". Fish and Wildlife Service, Carson published "The Sea Around Us" and other books. [53]:8788, Muir's friend, zoologist Henry Fairfield Osborn, writes that Muir's style of writing did not come to him easily, but only with intense effort. [58]:57 Muir also saw nature as his own home, as when he wrote friends and described the Sierra as "God's mountain mansion". [41] Muir recorded over 300 glaciers along the river's course.[42]. [10]:179[60][58]:24, Muir often used the term "home" as a metaphor for both nature and his general attitude toward the "natural world itself", notes Holmes. In spite of that, he had a great deal of sympathy for their "being robbed of their lands and pushed ruthlessly back into narrower and narrower limits by alien races who were cutting off their means of livelihood". The two men debated their positions in popular magazines, such as Outlook, Harper's Weekly, Atlantic Monthly, World's Work, and Century. She referred to them aptly as "biocides", or killers of life. Maathai was elected to parliament with 98% of the vote, and appointed Assistant Minister in the Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources. Four additional books were published posthumously. Nicknamed Father of the National Parks and John of the Mountains, Muir was an influential proponent of the preservation of wilderness in the US.He is credited with co-founding the American conservation organization, The Sierra Club. Born in Pennsylvania, he is best known for his passionate defense of the deserts of the Southwest. However, equally important are the leaders of the American environmental justice movement, which was born out of the civil rights of the 1960s, and has since been carried on by people of color and Indigenous People from around the world. For two years, Hill lived in the branches of an ancient redwood tree (which she named Luna) in northern California to save it from being cut down. From this developed his core belief that "wild is superior". [19]:97. "[15] He later returned to Yosemite and worked as a shepherd for a season. [21] While there, he continued "botanizing", exploring the escarpment and bogs, collecting and cataloging plants. [12]:85,92 Muir hiked along the Niagara Escarpment, including much of today's Bruce Trail. He considered not only the mountains as home, however, as he also felt a closeness even to the smallest objects: "The very stones seem talkative, sympathetic, brotherly. Meet six environmentalists who are changing the world - UNEP Muir built a small cabin along Yosemite Creek,[30]:207 designing it so that a section of the stream flowed through a corner of the room so he could enjoy the sound of running water. Leonardo DiCaprio and Theodore Roosevelt are some famous environmentalists. Muir eventually memorized three-quarters of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament. Due to their unending kindness in caring for his life, Muir stated that he "doubtless owe my life"[25] to the Hodgsons. In June 1889, the influential associate editor of The Century magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, camped with Muir in Tuolumne Meadows and saw firsthand the damage a large flock of sheep had done to the grassland. Julia Hil is one of the most committed environmentalists alive today. A Colombian-American, Margolin was moved to take action against the climate crisis after experiencing the effects of wildfires firsthand in her home state of Washington. He often encouraged city dwellers to experience nature for its spiritual nourishment. [113] An image of Muir, with the California condor and Half Dome, appears on the California state quarter released in 2005. She alone founded the White Earth Land Recovery Project, which seeks to buy back indigenous land from non-Natives, create jobs for First Nations peoples, and cultivate wild rice, a traditional Ojibwe food. 1. [20]:36, In 1863, his brother Daniel left Wisconsin and moved to Southern Ontario (then known as Canada West in the United Canadas), to avoid the draft during the US Civil War. [75] Although Muir was a loyal, dedicated husband, and father of two daughters, "his heart remained wild", writes Marquis. Muir was extremely fond of Thoreau and was probably influenced more by him than even Emerson. John Muir | Biography, Sierra Club, Racism, National Parks, Legacy A fellow student plucked a flower from the tree and used it to explain how the grand locust is a member of the pea family, related to the straggling pea plant. Dr Julian Caldecott. Though pilloried by chemical companies and others, Carson's observations were proven correct, and pesticides such as DDT were eventually banned. The John Muir Birthplace Charitable Trust is a Scottish charity whose aim is to support John Muir's birthplace in Dunbar, which opened in 2003 as an interpretative centre focused on Muir's work. Environmentalists are the founders of public lands, the brains behind regenerative agriculture, the authors of seminal literature, and the voices of people, wildlife, and centuries-old trees. The following places are named after Muir: John Muir was featured on two US commemorative postage stamps. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons". One day's exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books". [87][88][89][90], The play Thank God for John Muir, by Andrew Dallmeyer is based on his life.[91][92][93]. His earliest recollections were of taking short walks with his grandfather when he was three. American, Scottish: John Muir was a famous American naturalist, author and an advocate of . "He is a very firm believer in Thoreau and starts by reading deeply of this author". As governor of New York, he outlawed the use of feathers as clothing adornment in order to prevent the slaughter of some birds. According to Williams, in nature, especially in the wilderness, Muir was able to study the plants and animals in an environment that he believed "came straight from the hand of God, uncorrupted by civilization and domestication". In each of these cases and in multiple others, progress has been driven by the work . Top 10 famous environmentalists - Adobe Express It was during this time that he became interested in natural history and the works of Scottish naturalist Alexander Wilson. United States Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. [20]:173, Muir's friendship with Jeanne Carr had a lifelong influence on his career as a naturalist and writer. His earliest encounters, during his childhood in Wisconsin, were with Winnebago Indians, who begged for food and stole his favorite horse. [20]:174 Throughout his many years as a nature writer, Muir frequently rewrote and expanded on earlier writings from his journals, as well as articles published in magazines. In 1871, Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories gain acceptance. Though he was a known big-game hunter, Theodore Roosevelt (18581919) was one of the most active champions of wilderness preservation in history. The importance of Carr, who continually gave Muir reassurance and inspiration, "cannot be overestimated", adds Gisel. When he regained his sight, "he saw the worldand his purposein a new light". The moor sits to the west of Loch Rannoch. Luna would be preserved and so would all other trees within a 200-foot buffer zone. he groans over his labors, he writes and rewrites and interpolates". [66] During his time in Alaska he also wrote, how we were all children of one father; sketched the characteristics of the different races of mankind, showing that no matter how far apart their countries were, how they differed in color, size, language, etc. Henry David Thoreau (18171862) was one of the U.S.'s first philosopher-writer-activists, and he is still one of the most influentialalthough his fame only happened posthumously, when a biography was published 30 years after his death. Historical marker at the Epping Lookout, Meaford, Ontario. Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold, 1946 (cropped)-by Howard Zahniser- Wikimedia Commons Aldo Leopold, an American author, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist, was born on January 11, 1887, and he passed away on April 21, 1948. [23] He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks to regain his sight, worried about whether he would end up blind. Mr. John Muir will preside". Her tree-sit became an international cause clbre. [19]:95,115, When he was 22 years old, Muir enrolled at the University of WisconsinMadison, paying his own way for several years. [6] The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. It won many environmental victories under his leadership. In one essay about the National Parks, he referred to them as "places for rest, inspiration, and prayers." His career in conservation continued when Theodore Roosevelt asked him to lead the U.S. Forest Service, but his time in office was not without opposition. John Muir. [17] Stephen Fox recounts that Muir's father found the Church of Scotland insufficiently strict in faith and practice, leading to their immigration and joining a congregation of the Campbellite Restoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ. Their contrasting views were highlighted again when the United States was deciding whether to dam Hetch Hetchy Valley. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir on a visit to Yosemite. 1 John Muir, Naturalist and Writer United States Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Scotland and emigrated to Wisconsin as a young boy. [57]:41 His nature writings became a "synthesis of natural theology" with scripture that helped him understand the origins of the natural world. Even Muir acknowledged the need for timber and the forests to provide it, but Pinchot's view of wilderness management was more resource-oriented. Jamie Margolin rose to fame in her early teens, when she and other environmental activists co-founded Zero Hour, a youth climate action organization and movement. He traveled into British Columbia a third of the way up the Stikine River, likening its Grand Canyon to "a Yosemite that was a hundred miles long". Several books were subsequently published that collected essays and articles from various sources. Peter Garrett Quotes - Lead singer of Midnight Oil, politician and . Muir later wrote, "I never for a moment thought of giving up God's big show for a mere profship! She now serves as the Los Angeles County Supervisor representing residents of the First District. John Muir (/mjr/ MURE; April 21, 1838 December 24, 1914),[1] also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks",[2][3][self-published source] was a Scottish-born American[4][5]:42 naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. [54]:29 His secretary, Marion Randall Parsons, also noted that "composition was always slow and laborious for him. The Sierra Club, which he co-founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. At one point she asked Muir to read a book she felt would influence his thinking, Lamartine's The Stonemason of Saint Point. Wangari Maathai (19402011) was an environmental and political activist from Kenya. "[60], Muir was given the Stickeen (Muir's spelling, coastal tribe) name "Ancoutahan", meaning "adopted chief". In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prizewhile continuing to fight for women, the politically oppressed, and the planet. [52]:2, Muir was often invited to the Carrs' home; he shared Jeanne's love of plants. [13] In his autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars of Scottish Independence or just scrapping on the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his fellows as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located). After working for the National Park Service in what is now Arches National Park, Utah, Abbey wrote "Desert Solitaire," one of the seminal works of the environmental movement. Muir became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1903. Finally settling in San Francisco, Muir immediately left for a week-long visit to Yosemite, a place he had only read about. Muir felt a great loss from the destruction of the valley, his last major battle. C Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for many people, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. Mendes came from a family of rubber harvesters who supplemented their income by sustainably gathering nuts and other rainforest products. He ended up deciding not to pursue medical school in order to dedicate himself to the study of botany. "Following John Muir's footsteps ". Famous Scottish People | VisitScotland [118], In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[119]. "Daily he rose at 4:30 o'clock, and after a simple cup of coffee labored incessantly. [27]:56 Afterwards, he sailed to New York City and booked passage to California. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Earth Day, which was seen as kicking off the "Environmental Decade" of the 1970s, where much significant conservation legislation was passed. That year, she was recruited to be a climate scientist for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. That part of who i am is complete within me.". 1. Thoreau also wrote an influential political piece called "Resistance to Civil Government" that outlined the moral bankruptcy of overbearing governments. Famous Environmentalists Of All Time. It was a seminal scientific book written for lay readers, and it addressed complex topics such as bioaccumulation and biomagnification in ways that allowed the average citizen to understand and become alarmed about them. This notion was in strong contradiction to the accepted contemporary theory, promulgated by Josiah Whitney (head of the California Geological Survey), which attributed the formation of the valley to a catastrophic earthquake. An environmentalist is someone who supports the goals to improve and enhance the quality of the natural environment. Miranda Smith, Miranda Productions, Inc. / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. [24] When Muir arrived at Cedar Key, he began working for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson's sawmill. The university has a John Muir Center for Environmental Studies,[83] the Muir Experience,[84] as well as other programs related to Muir and his work. Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. [114] On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted John Muir into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. [5]:107108[46], The Sierra Club immediately opposed efforts to reduce Yosemite National Park by half, and began holding educational and scientific meetings. She was married to senator Janet Rice and focused most of her research on her home country of Australia. 27 March 2017 View With a population of just over 5 million, the Scots are a rare bunch graced with endless innovation and epiphanies. As the most iconic figure in Sierra Club history, Muir's words and actions carry an especially heavy weight. After nearly dying in a car crash in 1996, she dedicated her life to environmental causes. At his father's insistence, Pinchot studied forestry at Yale University and was subsequently appointed by President Grover Cleveland to develop a plan for managing America's western forests. [15] From that point on, he determined to "be true to [himself]" and follow his dream of exploration and study of plants. Famous Environmentalists - List of Famous Environmentalists It was "through his letters to her that he developed a voice and purpose". In 1845, Thoreau, disillusioned with much of contemporary life, set out to live alone in a small house he built near the shore of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. After returning from World War II, Gaylord Nelson (19162005) became an environmental activist and politician. Muir left school and travelled to the same region in 1864, and spent the spring, summer, and fall exploring the woods and swamps, and collecting plants around the southern reaches of Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. Eventually a vote was held that overwhelmingly put the Sierra Club behind the opposition to Hetch Hetchy Dam. He loved keeping animals nearby and had a menagerie of sorts at the White House while he was president. [43] In 1888 after seven years of managing the Strentzel fruit ranch in Alhambra Valley, California, his health began to suffer. Seeing it for the first time, Muir notes that "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling down steep cliff faces to get a closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower. In 1876, the American Association for the Advancement of Science published Muir's paper on the subject. . After obtaining copies of their private letters from Carr, and despite pleadings from Muir to return them, he instead published articles about their friendship, using those letters as a primary source. For almost two years, Hill lived in the branches on an ancient redwood tree in northern California to save it from being cut down. The piece was published anonymously, identified as having been written by an "inspired pilgrim". In 2018, she and 12 other youths sued the state over those firesand while they didn't win, the Zero Hour organization went on to garner national attention as it led dozens of youth climate marches, of which Margolin was at the forefront. Muir and Roosevelt set off largely by themselves and camped in the back country. After working for the U.S. Bilbro, Jeffrey. [5]:48 In early-March 1867, an accident changed the course of his life: a tool he was using slipped and struck him in the eye. It has more than 11,000 members internationally.[115]. "As a dreamer and activist, his eloquent words changed the way Americans saw their mountains, forests, seashores, and deserts", said nature writer Gretel Ehrlich. 1. They were both born the same year in Scotland and shared a love for the mountains of California. Scottish environmentalists This list has 1 sub-list and 9 members. He was sustained by the natural environment and by reading the essays of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote about the very life that Muir was then living. John Muir was a Scottish-American naturalist, environmental philosopher, glaciologist, botanist, zoologist, and author. Find out if you have what it takes to be a Young Champion in 2019. An environmentalist is someone who supports the goals to improve and enhance the quality of the natural environment. Listed: Scotland's 20 biggest climate polluters revealed Environmentalist, Arctic Explorer and Founder of the Polar Travel Company. Gordon Buchanan is a Scottish filmmaker and award winning wildlife photographer who regularly appears on TV. environmentalism, political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities; through the adoption of forms of political, economic, and social organization that are thought to be necessary for, or at least conducive to, the benign treatment of the environment by humans; and through a . Born on April 21, 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland, John Muir immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. Muir's biographer, Frederick Turner, notes Muir's journal entry upon first visiting the valley and writes that his description "blazes from the page with the authentic force of a conversion experience". 20 Scotland Landmarks and Monuments For Your 2023 Bucket List - Travel2Next David Brower (19122000) has been associated with wilderness preservation since he began mountain climbing as a young man. ", "Theatre review: Thank God for John Muir", U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Muir Inlet, "Historic Resource Study for Muir Woods National Monument", "Dunbar Primary School: About Our School", "Places and Schools Named After John Muir John Muir Exhibit", "About the John Muir Birthplace Charitable Trust", 'The inventions, though of little importance, opened all doors for me': John Muir's Years as an Inventor, "John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature", National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park, Giant Forest VillageCamp Kaweah Historic District, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Muir&oldid=1162266824, American non-fiction environmental writers, History of the Sierra Nevada (United States), Writers who illustrated their own writing, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with self-published sources from June 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Mount Muir (elevation 4,688ft or 1,429m) in, John Muir House, the headquarters building of. [54], Muir exalted wild nature over human culture and civilization, believing that all life was sacred. Osborn notes that he preferred using the simplest English language, and therefore admired above all the writings of Carlyle, Emerson and Thoreau. "Camping with the President was a remarkable experience", he wrote. She died in 2011 from complications relating to ovarian cancer. While traveling to the park, Muir told the president about state mismanagement of the valley and rampant exploitation of the valley's resources. He nonetheless went on to found other environmental groups like Friends of the Earth, the Earth Island Institute, and the League of Conservation Voters. No wonder when we consider that we all have the same Father and Mother". In exchange, the $50,000 that was raised by Hill's supporters was given to the Pacific Lumber Company, which donated it to Humboldt State University for sustainable forestry research. Winona LaDuke (born 1959) is a Harvard-educated Ojibwe Tribe member who has dedicated her life to issues of climate change, Native American land rights, and environmental justice. After years of national debate, Taft's successor Woodrow Wilson signed the bill authorizing the dam into law on December 19, 1913. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Pacific Southwest Region 5 / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. He created a list of 300 uses for peanuts, and many more for soybeans, pecans, and sweet potatoes, in an effort to boost financial profits for Southern farmers. As Muir's ideas spread, Whitney tried to discredit Muir by branding him as an amateur. We present you with the story of six environmentalists who are already making waves and changing the world. One energetic white man, working with a will, would easily pick as much cotton as half a dozen Sambos and Sallies." These great and important environmentalists include John Muir, Rachel McAdams, Leonardo DiCaprio, James Cameron, and more. As a professional forester, his view was that "forestry is tree farming", without destroying the long-term viability of the forests. [52]:1 During the next three years while a student at the University of Wisconsin, he was befriended by Carr and her husband, Ezra, a professor at the same university. He saw a ship, the Island Belle, and learned it would soon be sailing for Cuba. John Muir - Quotes, Books & Sierra Club - Biography He notes that they have had a "lasting effect on American culture in helping to create the desire and will to protect and preserve wild and natural environments". "[32]:53, Muir also spent time with photographer Carleton Watkins and studied his photographs of Yosemite.[35]. Her famed book Silent Spring, published in 1962, provoked a national reexamination and ban of the use of DDT. [63], In response to claims about Muir's attitudes about Native Americans, Sierra Club national Board member Chad Hanson wrote, "Muir wrote repeatedly about the intelligence and dignity of Native Americans, and honored how traditional Indigenous peoples lived in peaceful coexistence with Nature and wild creatures, expressing his view that Native peoples rank above white settlers, who he increasingly described as selfish, base, and lacking honor. He envisioned the Yosemite area and the Sierra as pristine lands. [54]:33, Miller speculates that Muir recycled his earlier writings partly due to his "dislike of the writing process".
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