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David Brower, a leading environmental activist, was born this day in 1912. He was director of the Sierra Club from 1952 to 1969 and then helped found Earth Island Institute, Friends of the Earth and the League of Conservation Voters. He became especially well known as the protagonist in the non-fiction book Encounters with the Archdruid,” by John McPhee. His work is carried on by the David Brower Center of Berkeley, California.

Richard M. Nixon is born this day in 1913 in Yorba Linda, California. As US president from 1969-1974, Nixon’s environmental legacy is powerfully mixed and often debated. On the one hand, says Michael Lemmonick of Climate Central, Nixon helped pass major foundational environmental legislation such as NEPA, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and acts establishing the EPA and NOAA, and so ranks as one of our greenest presidents. On the other hand, Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Bill (too expensive) and fired Interior Secretary Walter Hickel (too green). For more, see “A green Nixon doesn’t wash,” on this site.

Whalers sunk Sea Shepherd Conservation Society sinks two whaling vessels in Reykjavik harbor, Iceland on this day in 1986. No injuries are reported.

Mexican forest advocates Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera are freed from unlawful imprisonment on this day in 2001 by order of President Vincente Fox. Tragically, Mexican federal protection only comes after their attorney, Digna Ochoa, was shot to death in her Mexico city office Oct. 19, 2001.

Julia Butterfly Hill climbs a 180 foot California Coast Redwood tree to defy loggers. She spends two years in the tree as a protest against redwood logging.

Jane Addams is born this day in 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois. A leader of the Progressive women’s movement, Addams founded Hull House in Chicago as way to extend education, social services and political advocacy to the poor of Chicago. She fought against child labor, water and air pollution and many other problems. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. The committee said the award was for her “expression of an essentially American democracy.” But in fact, the Prize helped protect her from allegations of communism and attacks on her character that are frequently part of the life of any prominent reformer. (Also see this Library of Congress resource page).

American Forests the oldest continuously-active U.S. conservation group, is founded. Originally called the American Forestry Association, these pioneer environmentalists began at a time when there were no national or state forests, and national parks were still a new idea. Americans had been pondering their duty to protect forests since at least the 1850s, when easterners began arriving to marvel at the giant sequoia trees of Yosemite in California. (See “Mother of the Forest. )

Demonstrations break out at a Chinese solar company. The protesters point out heavy smoke and fish kills originating at the Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co. in Haining, China. Chinese companies are producing over two thirds of the world’s solar panels at this time, and the U.S. and the European Union began to accuse China dumping solar panels on the market.

Al Gore and the IPCC are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on this day in 2007 “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract” it.

Mahatma Gandhi born this day in Gujarat, India in 1869. Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement in the 1915-1947 period and is often considered the world’s leading proponent of non-violent social change. His philosophy was a major influence on the US Civil Rights movement, the South African anti-apartheid movement, the velvet revolution and many other reform movements worldwide. As an environmentalist, Gandhi advocated rural life, homespun cloth and sustainability. He is known for saying: “The earth has enough resources for our need, but not for our greed;” and “Live simply so that others may simply live.” The Gandhi Institute has a number of articles about him and his environmental perspectives.