Encounters With the Archdruid: Narratives About a Conservationist and Three of His Natural Enemies

Brower travels across the country delivering speeches about environmental conservation. Known for packing minimally—his bag contains just his “preacher suit” (79)—Brower speaks at universities, clubs, and even a cathedral. In his speech, Brower compares the six days of Genesis to the four billion years of Earth’s history. This is a metaphor of humanity’s destructive impact. He shows a photograph of the Earth taken by NASA’s Apollo mission to emphasize its fragility and warns about the unsustainable consumption of resources, calling for a shift away from a growth-obsessed economy. Brower criticizes the misuse of resources, such as shooting buffalo for their tongues and mining water in Arizona for cotton. He warns about the catastrophic effects of unchecked industrial growth and pollution, drawing comparisons to the growth of cancer within an organism.

McPhee notes that Brower’s approach to urging immediate action to save the planet is evangelical, comparing it to that of the Reverend Billy Graham—a famous American evangelist, known for his passionate preaching. Brower emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things, quoting various environmental thinkers, and proposes practical steps like recycling and responsible consumption.

McPhee describes Charles Fraser, a developer on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. His office is beside an alligator pond near the undeveloped land he is building on.