The “Crying Indian,” Corporations, And Environmentalism: A Half-Century Of Struggle Over Environmental Messaging

On April 22, 1970, almost 20 million people assembled on Earth Day, and a grass-roots movement sprang to life to protest the destruction of the environment, proclaim its commitment to the earth, and define the 1970s as the Environmental Decade. ¹ The following year, on the second spring day dedicated to the earth, a public service announcement against littering produced by Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB) aired on television for the first time. It would be heralded by the Advertising Educational Foundation (2003) as “synonymous with environmental concern.”