For many decades, governments around the world have followed the lead of the president of the United States to determine their environmental policies. Therefore, if the United States president thought that protecting the environment was necessary, then many around the world supported his views. Here are five United States presidents who were tremendous supporters of a cleaner environment.
A great outdoorsman, President Theodore Roosevelt worked tirelessly to pass the 1905 American Antiquities Act. Under this act, he created 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, five national parks, and 18 national monuments. He also created the United States Forest Service Administration and the Federal Bird Reserve. While Congress did not organize the National Park Service until six years after Roosevelt left office, he created 23 of the first 32 places overseen by the service after its creation.
President Johnson was a strong supporter of the environment, especially during his second term in office. He signed the Wilderness Act of 1964 into law, which protected over 9.1 million acres of land. A year later, Johnson signed the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 into law helping to set aside natural areas for the public to enjoy. He also signed the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, which gave protection to endangered animals and plants in the United States. Eventually, this would lead to the international endangered species list. Finally, in 1968, he created the National Trail System.
President Roosevelt planted over 500,000 trees in Hyde Park and in other locations during his lifetime. After he was in office only a month, he signed the law creating the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program employed over 3 million men to build projects around the United States. Many of these projects became state parks while others became children’s camps where leaders introduced the next generation to conservationism. During his term, the National Park Service grew by 25 %.
President Thomas Jefferson was responsible for purchasing the Louisiana Purchase where many United States National Parks are located. He was also a massive supporter of Lewis and Clark’s expedition that greatly expanded people’s knowledge of nature. Jefferson viewed himself as an agronomist who placed lots of emphasis on stopping soil erosion. He was one of the first to recognize that our natural resources are a finite resource. To teach his ideas, he created many agricultural societies to teach people to protect the land.
You may never be president of the United States, but you can have an impact on the environment by recycling at work. Contact All County Recycling about plastic recycling in New Jersey. Plastic recycling in New Jersey is a great way to show that you care about the environment. They will be glad to help you get started with cardboard and paper recycling.
