In his 1901 book, American conservationist and nature writer John Muir promoted a transcendentalist idea of national parks as wild places of inspirational beauty.
The first bird protection organization in the United States is founded in Boston.
Thomas Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark’s expedition to search for a Northwest Passage to Asia. The expedition to the Pacific resulted in detailed environmental reports about the American West.
The United States Green Building Council becomes the world’s first association for sustainable architecture.
The first “Earth Day” is celebrated in the US in 1970; by 1990 it is observed worldwide.
Books by Victor Olgyay (Design with Climate) and Ralph Knowles (Form and Stability ) pioneer a “green building” movement among architects and designers.
Publication of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, a catalyst for environmental consciousness in the US and worldwide.
The French engineer Eugene Houdry patents the catalytic converter.
The American company Bell Laboratories develops the first operational modern solar cell.
The American forestry scientist and wildlife researcher Aldo Leopold publishes his book A Sand County Almanac.
