With his shock of white hair and brilliant mind, he advocated for the Earth for decades. Jerry’s most famous writing was his book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. He issued early warnings of the threats of technology and globalization, and the hope of Deep Ecology.” He was genius in understanding how to help change public attitudes. Jerry's leadership at the International Forum on Globalization gave rise to the anti-corporate movement.ĭave Phillips, IMMP’s Director and co-founder of Earth Island, remembers Jerry as “…always far ahead of his time. He played a key role at the Public Media Center and was a close friend and collaborator with Doug Tompkins as Tompkins created the Foundation for Deep Ecology and went on to establish major land conservation projects in Chile and Argentina. Jerry mentored numerous environmentalists for decades. Many of our campaign ads are featured in it. Just last year, Jerry published a new book, titled, 70 Ads to Change the World An Illustrated Memoir of Social Change. His collaboration included creating seminal ads with Rainforest Action Network and the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP). Jerry worked very closely with staff at Friends of the Earth and with many early projects at Earth Island Institute. Jerry and Dave’s ad headline in the New York Times asked the question: “Should We Also Flood the Sistine Chapel, so Tourists Can Get Nearer to the Ceiling?” The dams were blocked, and a new wave of environmental advocacy was born. Proponents of the dam scheme told Congress the resulting reservoir in the famous canyon would bring viewers closer to the beautiful rock walls. In 1966, the most famous ad they launched attacked plans to build two dams on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park to provide water and electricity.

The Wall Street Journal called Jerry “the Ralph Nader of advertising.” Together, when Dave was the first Executive Director of the Sierra Club, they revolutionized conservation advocacy in the 1950s and ‘60s by promoting unique full-page newspaper ads. Jerry Mander was a skilled advertising writer, but he grew disillusioned with the superficial application of advertising and joined up with David Brower, the founder of Earth Island Institute, to fight dam development on the Colorado River. Two great friends of the Earth passed away in the past few weeks, a great loss to the environmental movement.

Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby