The debates that surround our environment and conservation efforts are often complex and compelling. Student researchers can use this reference source to explore the many issues surrounding environmental matters through the lives of people who have become actively involved in supporting efforts to preserve our environment. This unique approach to the topic provides profiles of these individuals, highlighting the different reasons for each one's deep involvement in environmental concerns and the different elements involved in the environmental debate as a whole.Writers, teachers, scientists, and even teenage students are among those who put a human face to the complicated issues surrounding our environment and the needs to preserve it. Readers can expect to experience a range of emotions, and to question their own views, as they explore the complex issues of individual and business rights, the role of government in keeping our environment clean and safe, and public health questions from a variety of perspectives. A time line of important events concerning the environment and references to additional sources are additional tools this volume provides to help students understand the complexity of the arguments that surround the topic of our environment.