Earthrise: The Photograph That Spurred the Environmental Movement
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Panel Discussion
Start Date
20-9-2019 10:00 AM
Description
On Christmas Eve, 1968, the crew of the Apollo 8 mission took a photograph that forever changed the way we viewed our “blue planet.” This initial manned launch was the first to escape Earth’s gravity and orbit another celestial body. While the race to explore the moon continued, the iconic photograph called “Earthrise” brought attention to the vulnerability of our planet and sparked a movement that precipitated the first Earth Day. In a time period racked by the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, and growing eco-consciousness, “Earthrise” served as a uniting symbol reminding us that the natural resources on Earth were finite and needed protection from years of industrialization. The ensuing fifty years since this photograph was taken included the implementation of important environmental regulations, but also more environmental disasters. The current weakening of many of these regulations concerns environmentalists. Do we have a similar icon to lead us through the next fifty years of environmental protection? Join faculty from the Department of Biology for a discussion on the impact of moon exploration on environmentalism—then and now.
Recommended Citation
Panvini, Darlene; Heard, Matthew; Murphree, Steve; and Niedzwiecki, John, "Earthrise: The Photograph That Spurred the Environmental Movement" (2019). Humanities Symposium. 8.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2019/2019/8
Earthrise: The Photograph That Spurred the Environmental Movement
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
On Christmas Eve, 1968, the crew of the Apollo 8 mission took a photograph that forever changed the way we viewed our “blue planet.” This initial manned launch was the first to escape Earth’s gravity and orbit another celestial body. While the race to explore the moon continued, the iconic photograph called “Earthrise” brought attention to the vulnerability of our planet and sparked a movement that precipitated the first Earth Day. In a time period racked by the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, and growing eco-consciousness, “Earthrise” served as a uniting symbol reminding us that the natural resources on Earth were finite and needed protection from years of industrialization. The ensuing fifty years since this photograph was taken included the implementation of important environmental regulations, but also more environmental disasters. The current weakening of many of these regulations concerns environmentalists. Do we have a similar icon to lead us through the next fifty years of environmental protection? Join faculty from the Department of Biology for a discussion on the impact of moon exploration on environmentalism—then and now.
Comments
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts & Sciences