The Environmental Action for Survival (ENACT) Teach-In of 1970

In April 2020, the Environmental Justice HistoryLab released the documentary film The Environmental Action for Survival (ENACT) Teach-In of 1970 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversaries of the ENACT Teach-In and the Earth Day movement. 

In the lead up to the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, eight students in Matthew Woodbury’s course, “Historical Filmmaking: Environmental Activism at U-M,” studied the Environmental Action for Survival (ENACT) Teach-In held on the University of Michigan campus and in the Ann Arbor community in March 1970. In addition to focusing on this pivotal era in American environmental history, the course provided an opportunity for participants to gain hands-on experience making their own historical documentaries. Activities included storytelling workshops, archival visits, and time in the editing studio. Working collaboratively, the student teams researched, compiled, and films examining the people, ideas, and legacies of ENACT’s landmark event.

This project is part of the Environmental Justice Lab.