Six weeks before the first Earth Day, the University of Michigan-based group Environmental Action for Survival (ENACT) organized a groundbreaking teach-in. The “Give Earth a Chance”-themed event, which took place in Ann Arbor from 11-14 March 1970, generated extensive print and television news coverage.
ENACT commissioned this button to promote the teach-in. Cricket Breitmeyer, a junior in UM’s art department, produced the camera-ready artwork for the button, using a pointillism style to mimic one of NASA’s famous full-size images of Earth from space. For the lettering, she used dry-transfer type from Letraset.
The button, with its white background and blue printing, reads “GIVE EARTH A CHANCE” written in a circle around a blue and white graphic of Earth. Lettering on the button’s edge reads “Environmental Teach-In — U. of M. — Enact”.