- In the 1970s, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnered with professional photographers to take pictures of the people and the land – from polluted rivers to pristine forests – of America.
- The Documerica project collected more than 20,000 photographs.
- The EPA aimed to stress the direct link between Americans and their position within their environment as well as their responsibility for keeping it clean.
- The project also intended to introduce the fledgling agency and its importance to everyday Americans.