The American public is now faced with a baffling array of new environmental issues--much more complicated than the problems people faced 30 years ago. Scientists recognize new threats to the biosphere, the fabric of natural ecosystems, and the diversity of plants and animals that inhabit them. Unlike the obvious, toxic pollutants that spurred the environmental movement of the 1960s, there are now signs of subtle, diffuse, and long-term effects on nature, cast by the six billion humans on Earth, each in the pursuit of a higher standard of living. In the face of an increasing onslaught and complexity of environmental issues, people will make only limited progress in protecting the environment until they have a cadre of highly trained environmental scientists who understand how the Earth works, policymakers who can advise them on the best solution to environmental problems, and a citizenry that respects their judgments. The author has the privilege of running the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, the nation's first professional school of the environment where it trains a broad variety of students to address the science and policy issues facing environment. The author stresses that schools like the Nicholas School have an enormous impact on the quality of the environment in the United States. In the process of training environmental professionals, it is critical for schools like the Nicholas School to forge strong ties to other professional schools, especially medicine and business. As the population continues to grow, never has there been a greater need for broad-based and interdisciplinary environmental education. The Nicholas School and similar programs are poised to deliver that training to the broadest array of bright and committed students.