A Look at Sustainability Challenges Past, Present and Future

In January 1972 the newly created Environmental Protection Agency launched a photo documentary project, Documerica, to record the state of the environment across America. The project was modeled after the Department of Agriculture’s effort in the 1930s to document rural America during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Called “The Photography Project,“ this earlier effort was led by Roy Stryker through the Farm Security Administration (FSA). From 1935 to 1944 photographers and writers were hired to “relate people to the land and visa-versa.” Stryker’s vision for the project was to “introduce America to America,” in particular, to “show the city people what it’s like to live on the farm.” These FSA photographs became the face of the Great Depression for many in America and were instrumental in galvanizing public support for conservation and assistance programs for rural America.