In 2012 we will celebrate the hundredth birthday of David Brower, the most influential environmentalist of the latter half of the twentieth century. A group of friends, family, and colleagues of David Brower, in concert with organizations he founded or worked with, has begun planning a series of events to commemorate this extraordinary man’s life, and we invite you to join us, as a sponsor, a donor, and as a participant. We plan a year-long party to honor an extraordinary life.
Among the events planned, there will be a monthly lecture series, an art exhibit, a book on Brower’s legacy published by Heyday, and a birthday celebration on July 1, 2012. The David Brower Center in Berkeley, Dave’s hometown, will be the hub for most of these events.
“The most effective single person on the cutting edge of conservation in this country,” Stewart Udall, Secretary of Interior under Kennedy and Johnson, said of Brower.
“Thank God for Dave Brower. He makes it so easy for the rest of us to appear reasonable,” said Judge Russell Train, EPA Administrator under Nixon.
“David Brower has been for many years a steady force of nature, drawing us to see the natural world as nurturer, teacher, inspirer, and partner. He has been a pathbreaker, not given to easy answers or ruinous compromises,” said Jimmy Carter.
And Bill Clinton said, “One of the earliest and most ardent defenders of the extraordinary natural heritage that enriches and unites all Americans. . . .David Brower’s conservation legacy will stand tall and proud for generations to come.”
Brower was always decades ahead of nearly everyone else:
“Scientists already suspect that our rapid expenditure of fossil fuels is raising the temperature of the air. If we start turning all that energy into heat, where will we be? Suppose it melts the ice caps at the poles, as is likely. Then we have several problems—the relocation of every coastal city on earth. Either that or a real flood-control project for the Corps of Engineers—a 100-foot sea wall all around the continent, and a system of locks from the ports leading up to the oceans.”
He delivered that speech in 1957. He was visionary, relentless, tireless, an innovator and activist who lived and helped shape 20th century environmentalism. His concerns embraced the whole planet and its community of life; his words changed the way we understand the interdependency of people and environment; his organizations led the way, again and again, toward a more sustainable way of life. There is much to learn from his life and career, much that can guide us as we embark on the next hundred years.
A group of friends, family, and colleagues of Dave, in concert with organizations he founded or worked with, has begun planning a series of events to commemorate this extraordinary man’s life, and we invite you to join us, as a sponsor, a donor, and as a participant. We welcome your ideas and suggestions.
-Tom Turner, Coordinator
Support this project! Donate now at www.eii.org/DRB100
All donations are tax deductible.
For more information, please contact us at
browercentennial@gmail.com or 510-859-9131.