Exhibit eyes environment policy

The Environmental Information Center, a unit of the Harvard College Library, is mounting a special exhibition in preparation for the upcoming 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development – a United Nations conference called to examine the first 30 years of environmental policy and to chart future strategies. “People and the Planet: Forging International Environmental Policy, 1972-2002,” displayed on the first floor of Cabot Science Library, traces the development of environmental awareness from the 1972 UN conference that first addressed environmental issues to the forthcoming summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August.

The exhibition focuses on the manuscript collections of Maurice F. Strong and Peter S. Thacher, two influential political and environmental activists who have worked together to shape the face of global environmental policy. Involved in each major step of the movement’s 30-year history, Strong and Thacher worked within the United Nations to create general awareness, to implement national and international policies, and to stress the importance of grassroots action. The exhibition, which includes conference documents, related personal correspondence, and photographs, provide an inside glimpse into how the movement evolved.

“People and the Planet: Forging International Environmental Policy, 1972-2002” is on display through May 31. For more information, contact Amy Christensen, archivist for the Environmental Information Center, at (617) 496-4958.