FRIENDS OF THE LAND AND THE RISE OF ENVIRONMENTALISM, 1940-1954

The rise of the postwar environmental movement is rooted in the develo pment of ecological consciousness within intellectual circles as well as the general public. Though many commentators cite the 1960s as the focal point of the new environmentalism, the ecological ethic had actu ally evolved by the 1930s in the writings anal speeches of both scient ists and public commentators. Agricultural conservationists led the wa y in broadcasting the message of ecology. Friends of the Land, an agri culturally-oriented conservation organization formed in 1940 and activ e through the 1950s, is an interesting example of how the agricultural community was an integral component in the rise of environmentalism. While Friends of the Land flourished only for a brief period, its goal s and the ideas that the group represented illustrate how the ecologic al ethic was burgeoning by the early-1950s. Furthermore, the history o f Friends of the Land is an important chapter in the ongoing quest for ecological agriculture and societal permanence.