Those of us born after 1990 may not recognize the cultural connection between ALF (the 1980s animated “Alien Life Form”), Clint Eastwood, and Smokey Bear. But the latter should suggest that it has something to do with public lands stewardship. Indeed, all three—as well as other celebrity spokespersons and cartoon characters—have sought to motivate the American public to protect and maintain US public lands. Their appearances and the strategic marketing behind these volunteer campaigns lie at the heart of Jeffrey K. Stine’s Green Persuasion: Advertising, Voluntarism, and America’s Public Lands. Stine, a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, specializes in environmental history and the history of technology. Green Persuasion is Stine’s latest in a career dedicated to public history of the environment and environmental justice.
This concise book examines the political, cultural, and economic underpinnings that drove public information environmental campaigns. Across an introduction, conclusion, and...