06/18/2025
Volume 4, Issue 2 June 2025
FLARE Focus on Texas First Ladies and the Environmental Movement
Rachel Boba
Editor’s Note: Rachel Boba is a recent graduate of American University, where she holds a B.A. in Political Science. She focused her undergraduate studies on environmental policy. This essay was initially composed for a first ladies course at AU and is her first publication in the field of First Ladies Studies.
Today, climate change is one of America’s most significant and politically contested issues, but first ladies across the political aisle have been championing conservation practices for decades. Texas-born Lady Bird Johnson was the first first lady to advocate for stronger conservation and beautification practices within urban spaces, both during her husband's tenure and after he left office. Her work inspired another Texan, Laura Bush, to push for the conservation of America’s waters and greater environmental education. While both first ladies were inspired by the natural spaces in which they grew up, they drew on their love of nature to encourage the conservation of the American landscapes they treasured. Both actively supported the National Park Foundation and used hikes in national parks as ways to stimulate public interest in park protection.
During her time in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson effectively linked her love of nature to her agenda as first lady. Nicknamed after ladybird beetles, Lady Bird spent her childhood exploring and appreciating the beauty of her home state of Texas. Motivated by the ill effects of pollution in Washington, D.C., she focused on beautification efforts. Lady Bird founded the Committee for a More Beautiful Capitol, which planted flowers and trees in previously barren areas of Washington, D.C. She then lobbied for the Highway Beautification Act, also known as “Lady Bird’s Bill,” which limited billboards and increased natural landscaping around highways. After leaving the White House, Lady Bird continued to support highway maintenance, sponsoring an annual award to the Texas Highway Department and donating land for the National Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Texas. This center plants and maintains wildflowers globally, while also serving as a public botanical garden. Lady Bird initially had mixed feelings about the term beautification, as she wanted to focus on conservation. However, by coining beautification, she blended societal expectations of her role as first lady with concrete action, inspiring future first ladies to take similar steps. [1]
One such first lady was Laura Bush, who, like Lady Bird, spent her childhood exploring the outdoors of Texas. Laura Bush traveled extensively during her time as first lady and was inspired by ocean conservation after seeing how the state of rivers, like the ones she grew up around, impacts the health of oceans. To raise awareness, Laura Bush worked on the National Park Centennial Initiative, which helped secure funding and public access to national parks. After serving as first lady, she founded Texan by Nature. This organization collaborates with businesses to conserve natural resources and protect wildlife habitats and waters within the state. She also co-authored a book with her daughter, titled Our Great Big Backyard,[2] which encourages children to explore the natural world. On March 28, 2025, Laura Bush received the American Park Experience (APEX) Award for her conservation work, which has raised public awareness and appreciation for natural spaces. Through her efforts to engage as many people as possible with conservation practices, she helped inspire individuals from diverse backgrounds to recognize the value of preservation.
When looking to the future, it is challenging to predict the role that first ladies will play in addressing climate change. As Lady Bird Johnson’s beautification efforts inspired Laura Bush’s conservation work, may their legacy inspire future first ladies to push for policies that will preserve our natural landscapes. As the environmental movement continues to evolve, first ladies can look to the examples set by Texas-born Lady Bird and Laura Bush to realize their unique potential for stewardship of the Earth.
[1] Lewis L. Gould, Lady Bird Johnson and the Environment (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1988).
[2] Laura Bush and Jenna Hager Bush, Our Great Big Backyard (New York: HarperCollins, 2016).
Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson among sunflowers. Photo by John D. Smithers.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Laura Bush with Texas Bluebonnets in the Native Texas Park at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Photo from the George W. Bush Institute.