As one of the first business ethics textbook states, by way of observation, "Custom, convention and the accepted courtesies of a society are not the foundation of ethics even though they provide valuable hints as to what men think… Law enshrines many of the ethical judgments of a society, but it is not coextensive with ethics" (Garrett, 1966, p. 1). Therefore, "changes in the law tend to reflect changes in what a society takes to be right and wrong…" (Shaw, 2008, p. 11). We think Garrett and Shaw are correct; thus, we work to have our students understand that ethics differs from legal codes but that ethics drives the law. These two points can effectively be shown with regard to environmental ethics. We offer a model that can help students see the relationship between law and ethics. First, we briefly explore the development of environmental ethics and highlight the broader ethical considerations related to the environment. Then, we trace the legal history that followed philosophical analysis.