The Steamboat Sabino, a National Historic Landmark carrying at least one hundred passengers on a half-hour-long excursion, belched black, coalgenerated smoke into the air at Mystic Seaport’s outdoor museum in Mystic, Connecticut. As the cloud came wafting toward my family and the dozen or so other visitors exploring one of the historic boats docked there, the interpreter at our program commented, ‘‘Now that’s the smell of history!’’ It was a nice save, but I thought, ‘‘There has got to be a better way to frame that.’’ Public historians have always had to balance historical integrity with modern values, but the field also offers myriad opportunities like this one for addressing environmental concerns. What role do historic sites play in commemorating, sometimes celebrating, and consequently often precipitating practices that threaten both historic and future resources? What can public historians actually do to promote more sustainable practices? Poor air quality, pollution, and acid rain have long deteriorated historic structures. The increased frequency of violent and destructive storms have seriously threatened, and in some cases already destroyed, natural and cultural resources along shorelines from Louisiana to