Benjamin Franklin: Revolutionary or Environmentalist?
by Christy Longgrear

Statesman, diplomat, civil servant, author & publisher, printer, scientist, revolutionary……environmentalist?

Though we all are well acquainted with Benjamin Franklin’s many contributions to American society and the founding of this great nation, most are likely not very familiar with his influence on preservation of the environment.

Franklin possessed a keen understanding of the link between a healthy environment and a healthy populace. This is evident in his contribution to discovering a relationship between lead poisoning and human health based on his experience operating a printing press.

It naturally follows this great thinker would take up cause in Philadelphia against local tanneries who were polluting the waters in the city.

In 1739, Franklin teamed up with fellow neighbors to petition the Philadelphia Assembly to put a stop to the tanneries waste dumping activities. His key argument was the tanneries were violating “public rights” by causing property devaluation, bad odor and risk of disease within the commercial districts of Philadelphia.

Though the tanneries attempted to counter by citing their personal right to conduct business as they saw fit, Franklin’s “public trust” argument won the cause before the assembly.

The importance of this event in history is that it set a precedent of “public trust” where environmental matters were concerned that is followed to this day.

Franklin continued his contributions to preserving the environment by introducing bills and/or influencing governing bodies to provide services like street cleaning as well as introducing improved methods for waste dumping.

Some of Franklin’s other “eco-friendly” contributions include:

• Pioneer of the national long-range forecast for his theories on high and low pressure systems in the northern hemisphere,
• Organizing a fund-raiser supporting the Bartram brothers' botanical forays to the South, resulting in the naming of their most famous discovery, Franklinia alatamaha, after Franklin, and;
• Willed considerable sums to Boston and Philadelphia for the purpose of creating a pipeline to carry clean water to the cities.

It is no wonder Benjamin Franklin is such a renowned figure in history. His achievements touched every aspect of the world around him, as did his quest to improve the lives of his fellow man.