Clean air, land and water are vital to all of us. But so are jobs, food, clothing and housing. We have to weigh the total impact on the environment along with the economic and social costs in order to clean up.
In the early 1970s, as part of its organized response to Lewis Powell’s call for business people to become more active in public debate and politics, Chamber of Commerce paid for a series of public service announcements created by Hanna-Barbera studios. In one, the experiences of an entrepreneurial young boy are used to showcase business’s perceived difficulties in complying with rigid environmental codes while still turning a profit. Chamber executive vice president Arch Booth summarizes the Chamber’s position at the end. From “An Approach to Pollution,” 30/60 second public service announcement (still images), Quotes by Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Arch Booth, Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, May 1973, Papers of Chamber of Commerce, Series II, Box 3, Hagley Museum