Documerica captured our way of life and environment shortly after EPA’s creation. State of the Environment is your chance, 40 years later, to mark the change.
Join this global documentary of our lives and our environment today. Challenge yourself with Documerica Then and Now.
Join In! Share photos using Flickr entries accepted through 2013.
Catch the EPA Traveling Exhibit
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
New York City, Then and Now
The Documerica Returns Traveling Exhibit is on display in New York City! You can view the exhibit in the lobby of 290 Broadway, New York, NY through January 18.
From January 22 – February 5 the exhibit will be with Rutgers University in the G.H. Cook Campus Center.
Documerica and New York City
We invite you to share scenes of New York today for State of the Environment. Or just simply reflect and enjoy this blast to the past. You can also match any Documerica scenes as they exist today to be a part of the Documerica Then and Now Challenge.
DOCUMERICA: Sustenance for the Inner Man at the Sheepshead Bay Annual Art Show 05/1973 by Arthur Tress.
Three photographers contributed a great deal of images from this area, more of which we have highlighted below.
Arthur Tress
From the National Archives: “Arthur Tress’ photographs of the general New York Harbor area, including Staten Island, include some of the most startling images of unchecked pollution and environmental decay in and around urban areas during the early 1970s.” View his album on on Flickr
Wil Blanche
“Wil Blanche’s DOCUMERICA assignment took him to New York City and Westchester County where he took pictures of landfills, water pollution and the rapidly changing Lower Manhattan skyline. Among his photographs are images of the newly completed Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.” View his album on Flickr
Danny Lyon
“While on assignment for DOCUMERICA, Danny Lyon captured striking images of inner city American life of the early 1970s, including neighborhoods in El Paso, Houston, Galveston, Chicago, and the boroughs of New York City.” View his album on Flickr
DOCUMERICA: Sheepshead Bay 05/1973 by Arthur Tress.
DOCUMERICA: Garbage Is Covered by One Foot of Earth in Croton Landfill Operation along the Hudson River 08/1973 by Wil Blanche.
DOCUMERICA: Battery Park Waterfront, Lower Manhattan. Staten Island Ferry in Background 05/1973 by Wil Blanche.
DOCUMERICA: Parking Lot at Ferry Dock on Staten Island 05/1973 by Arthur Tress.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Today’s Photo & Caption Contest!
What is it about birds? We promise to change it up with a new critter next week, but this was too good to pass up.
Share your thoughts on this Snowy Owl’s musing as a comment below, or on EPA’s facebook page and we just may share yours as the top caption tomorrow! Congratulations to Craig Leaper, one of our top contributors, for this great photo.
Snowy Owl, December 31, 2012, by Craig Leaper
State of the Environment is a documentary of our lives and environment from 2011 through 2013. Share your environment today; as ordinary or extraordinary as it may be.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Today’s Photo: A Scene from Bellingham, WA
Congratulations to ‘TellyTomTelly’ on Flickr! Enjoy today’s featured photo, Tom has been sharing great photos of this property as it prepares for new use.
Share the places and faces you see in your travels. Your scenes of our environment today, will exist as a time capsule just as Documerica has. This is your chance to be a part of history. Make your story part of the picture with State of the Environment.
Waterfront redevelopment area, Bellingham Washington (12/2012) by TellyTomTelly on Flickr.
Entries may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr through 2013.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Today’s Photo! Shawneetown Sunset
Congratulations to Chris Taylor on Flickr! Enjoy today’s featured photo, marking 2012 as it drew to a close over the Shawneetown Bridge on the Ohio River.
State of the Environment is the modern inspiration from Documerica, both will exist through time as photographic time capsules of our lives and environment. Share your story in photographs today.
Vibrance Shawneetown Bridge December 27, 2012 by mayhem62930 on Flickr.
Entries may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr through 2013.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Earth, Then and Now Courtesy of NASA
Enjoy our latest Then and Now; from Documerica to State of the Environment. We hope it brings peace to your hearts and minds this holiday season.
State of the Environment is a documentary of our lives and environment from 2011 through 2013. Share your environment today. Your ordinary could be something extraordinary for the rest of us.
Earth Then and Now for Documerica and State of the Environment.
Entries may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr through 2013.
‘Then Documerica image’: Earth, as Seen by Astronauts Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt from Apollo 17. December, 1972. Photographer: NASA 1
‘Now State of the Environment image’ : Most Amazing High Definition Image of Earth – Blue Marble January 25, 2012 by Suomi NPP, NASA Earth-observing research satellite.
State of the Environment, uniting earthling (and satellite) views of our shared planet since Earth Day 2011, inspired by Documerica.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Today’s Photo & Caption Contest!
Congratulations to John Dreyer on Flickr! This photo was taken on December 6, 2012 in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Thoughts on what could be running through this bird’s brain? Share it as a comment below, or on EPA’s facebook page.
State of the Environment is a documentary of our lives and environment from 2011 through 2013. Share your environment today; as ordinary as it may be.
Night heron hunts for dinner in a Hilton Head Island lagoon on a late afternoon in December.
Entries may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr through 2013.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Puerto Rico Then and Now
Today’s featured area brings us to Puerto Rico’s past. Places and people were sharply documented by photographer John Vachon, who gave us scenes that are no less emotional and challenging than those that we have seen before.
Browse the full Vachon set on Flickr, or search further in the Archives OPA Database.
If you live or travel within the area, we invite you to share photos of Puerto Rico today. Where possible, we challenge you to match any of the scenes from Documerica for State of the Environment’s Then & Now challenge.
Photos taken from the same vantage point could earn you a spot at the 2013 National Archives Exhibit in D.C.
Find how close Documerica came to you – where you may have grown up and where you live now – with the simple steps below. Please include a link to the Documerica image(s) you match.
Documerica Returns Traveling Exhibit
… is coming to New York City for the remainder of December and January. Stay tuned here for venue dates and locations!
DOCUMERICA: Boat Launching From Luguillo Beach San Juan, Puerto Rico 02/1973 by John Vachon.
DOCUMERICA: Palo Seco Electric Power Plant Across the Bay From San Juan 02/1973 San Juan, Puerto Rico by John Vachon (1914-1975).
DOCUMERICA: Sign on Bridge near Ppg Plant Protests Air Pollution Ponce, Puerto Rico 02/1973 by John Vachon.
DOCUMERICA: Sugar Refinery. Trucks Bring in Freshly Cut Cane 02/1973 Mayagüez-Aguadilla, Puerto Rico John Vachon (1914-1975).
DOCUMERICA: A Village Street 02/1973 Ponce, Puerto Rico by John Vachon (1914-1975).
DOCUMERICA: Palo Seco Electric Power Plant in the Background San Juan, Puerto Rico 02/1973 by John Vachon (1914-1975).
DOCUMERICA: Garbage-Strewn Atlantic Beach 02/1973, Puerto Rico 02/1973 by John Vachon (1914-1975).
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
National Archives Exhibit: Selection Underway
Hello everyone,
As this key point in time, I wanted to highlight the closing chance to have your photograph(s) be a part of the U.S. National Archives 2013 Exhibit: Searching for the Seventies, the DOCUMERICA Photography Project.
We have received a wonderful variety of ‘Then and Now‘ contributions to date, but there is still time to make the cut! Together with the Archives, we will be finalizing our selections for this portion of the exhibit by the end of next week – Thursday, December 20, 2012.
Those that have been submitted up to that point, will have the unique opportunity to be considered for the March to September of 2013, Washington, D.C. display.
I also wanted to share with you that a number of photos contributed in the overall spirit of State of the Environment will be included. We will be notifying you once our selections are final.
To participate now and for the duration of the project, simply follow the steps below.
Best wishes and we hope you enjoy the trip to match our past with the present.
-Jeanethe Falvey, State of the Environment project lead
To participate
Through 2013 enter current photos of:
- The landscapes, people, and the way of life today. Each entry is about your view of our environment where you live and travel. See worldwide submissions to date at State of the Environment on Flickr.
Find a Match!
- Match Documerica scenes today, 40 years after this incredible project was lost and found. Tell the story of change by taking your best shot from the same, or similar vantage point now. (*Be sure to let us know which image inspired your modern match).
Browse our location challenges here, or
Search the full Documerica Collection by state, landmark, year or topic with the National Archives OPA database. You will see a search page like this. Simply type in your state or key word to get started.
Documerica covered each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as select territories and international locations from 1971-1977.
The topics, places, and incidents you see as part of Documerica today were solely the result of each photographer’s dedication to have that subject matter be a part of the picture. Today, with the modern and now global effort, State of the Environment,you have a chance to do the same.
‘Then’ Documerica Photo: February, 1974 Looking North on Galena Street to the Ajax Mountain Ski Area by Ron Hoffman. ‘Now’ State of the Environment Photo: January, 2012 Documerica Location: “Ajax” Mountain by Dustin Wesley.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
What Doesn’t Belong?
What do you see on the streets, shorelines, in the trees, that doesn’t need to be part of the picture? What could our environment do without?
This weekend, take a photo of what doesn’t belong. Share it with State of the Environment, inspire a better picture for the future.
Try last week’s theme too: what lights up your night sky?
Willow Road Section of Bread and Cheese Creek Before our cleanup scheduled for April 6, 2013 by Kharstin on Flickr.
This is a documentary of public contributions from 2011 through 2013. Inspired by Documerica, it is the modern opportunity to share your view of our lives and environment today.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Today’s Photo! Bad Air, Chicago
Congratulations to ‘LaurenBChicago’ on Flickr for this photo, taken on November 30, 2012 for State of the Environment. She has captured a simple moment, an everyday scene, that speaks to a larger problem in our environment today.
We hope it inspires you to act, and to share something from where you live.
State of the Environment is a documentary of our lives and environment from 2011 through 2013. Share your environment today; as ordinary as it may be.
bad air on Ashland Ave Chicago, IL by LaurenBChicago on Flickr November 30, 2012 for State of the Environment.
Entries may be submitted to State of the Environment on Flickr through 2013.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
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