Memorial Day Weekend is almost here, and that means the official start of camping season. It also means the intense part ofEverybody knows Smokey Bear is the national mascot for wildfire prevention. However, a few years before Smokey came on the national scene, a group of timber industry people – notably Roderick Olzendam of Weyerhaeuser, who’s credited with having the idea – and Governor Clarence Martin right here in the Evergreen State launched the “Keep Washington Green” campaign in May 1940.
The effort is credited with helping reduce the number of wildfires, and it also inspired similar “Keep Green” initiatives in many other states. “Keep Washington Green” was essentially a publicity campaign to educate people about the dangers of forest fires, and about what steps individuals could take to help prevent them. It was a sensible idea at the time, but it was also relatively new in 1940 to use media and other advertising channels not to sell a product, but to alter public behavior. In the 1930s, what’s now theused similar techniques to raise awareness of polio and solicit donations in support of patients and research.
The “Keep Green” effort came on the heels of something else that happened in the 1930s: two devastating fires near Tillamook, Oregon.
Along with the public officials and corporate leaders, there were a couple of heavy-hitter Northwest writers involved on the creative side of “Keep Washington Green.” One was
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: OakTribNews - 🏆 597. / 51 Read more »
Source: WashTimes - 🏆 235. / 63 Read more »
Source: hackernoon - 🏆 532. / 51 Read more »
Source: washingtonpost - 🏆 95. / 72 Read more »
Source: OakTribNews - 🏆 597. / 51 Read more »
Source: mercnews - 🏆 88. / 68 Read more »