Principles of Conservation

Gifford Pinchot's article is a good example of what conservation meant more than a century ago. His definition was that conservation "demands the welfare of this generation first, and afterward the welfare of the generations to follow."

He writes about resource waste and that it must be considered a industrial priority. With reduced rates of waste there will be more resources and economic value. "in the early days of forest fires, they were considered acts of God, against which any opposition was hopeless and any attempt to control them was not merely hopeless but childish... Today we understand that forest fires are wholly within the control of men. So we are coming in like manner to understand that prevention of waste in all other directions is a simple matter of good business. The first duty of the human race is to control the earth it lives upon."

This produces a more prosperous society in which "The natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of the many, and not merely for the profit of the few." This article explains how the idea of conservation quickly developed into a political practice. This marked a cornerstone in the environmental movement for the western world when preservation of resources became an important component of harvesting.

Citations:
Selection 3: Principles of Conservation by Gifford Pincot

Picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifford_Pinchot