Miller Hull

Decades of Design: How the Past 100 Years Have Influenced the Current State of Design

ENVIRONMENTALISM

On a Thursday in December, 1972, as the Apollo 17 spacecraft traveled to the moon, the crew looked back to capture a crystal-clear photograph of the entire Earth. Known as “The Blue Marble,” the photo captivated scientists and everyday people alike and has since become one of the most reproduced images. As concerns mounted about the ecological costs of air and water pollution and the unbridled extraction of natural resources, this photo—capturing the beauty and vulnerability of our planet—helped spur the growing environmental movement in the United States. The formation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, along with the first Earth Day celebration that same year, marked a shift in attitudes among architects and designers about their responsibility to care for the planet.