This green and growing land : environmental activism in American history / Kevin C. Armitage.

"In This Green and Growing Land: Environmental Activism in American History, historian Kevin C. Armitage shows how the story of American environmentalism -- part philosophy, part social movement -- is in no small way a story of America itself, the way citizens have self-organized, how they have thought of their communities and their government, and how they have used their power to protect and enrich the land. Armitage skillfully analyzes the economic and social forces begetting environmental change and emphasizes the responses of a variety of ordinary Americans -- as well as a few well-known leaders -- to these complex issues. This concise and engaging survey of more than 250 years of activism tells the story of a magnificent American achievement -- and the ongoing problems that environmentalism faces."-- Dust jacket.