Within the past hundred years, there has been a tremendous growth in environmental politics in the United States.  This growth occurred through four movements spread over this period: conservation-efficiency, conservation prevention, environmental, and participatory environmentalism.

Beginning in 1890 and continuing until the 1950s, politicians began to form opinions on the issue of the environment, making it, for the first time, a heavily debated public issue. The basis of this development, the Conservation-Efficiency movement, was the federal government's effort to plan the most efficient use of America's natural resources.  Issues investigated by the government included water development and timber resources -- i.e., saving trees and later sustained-yield management.  Forest reserves were set aside to control the cutting and marketing of timber. Another main concern in this period was the lack of long term planning on the part of commercial industries.  Yet, while "conservation" came to be stressed at this time, it was made clear that conservation meant the greatest good for the greatest number of people for the longest time, not simply withholding all natural resources.  Finally, the issue of which environmental decisions should be made by whom was hotly debated.

The next movement, the Conservation-Prevention movement, was very similar to the efficiency phase. However, this movement, which ran from 1960 to 1980,  focused more on habitat, such as various uses for lands.  Consequently, this phase tended to involve national voluntary organizations, like the Sierra Club, as opposed to the concern during the previous phase with corporations and government agencies.

Ronald Reagan, US President from 1980-1988.  Image Credit: The Whitehouse.

During the twenty years that followed, the Environmental Movement brought issues concerning the quality of the human environment into the spotlight.  This movement combined the two previous movements, but broadened the focus also to include the wider ecosystem.  Political strategies also changed, becoming more public and making use of civil disobedience.  This movement involved a broader range of citizens and, subsequently, more politicians as well, now eager to attach themselves to a popular cause.

The final movement, the Participatory Democracy movement from 1980-1990, pushed for more direct action.  Some scholars classify this period onward as the era of "postenvironmentalism."  Through this movement, Americans are currently developing environmentally-sound methods of behavior, while also retaining a sustainable lifestyle.