Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, at age 100, will likely be remembered more for his extraordinary post-presidency than his time in the White House. After leaving office in 1981, he embarked on what would become what many have considered the most successful, and inspiring, post-presidential career in American history.

For more than four decades Carter worked tirelessly to advance democracy, promoting freedom and peace through the world, combating disease and improving the lives of millions of people through the world. His efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Understandably, Carter disliked being known as a model post-president, but an ineffectual president. And rightly so. The truth is, he was a consequential leader, particularly when it came to the environment.

President Carter was an environmentalist who cared deeply about his country’s natural spaces — even if it cost him politically. This will no doubt be one of his lasting legacies. He set the tone, and in the 1970s, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness worked with his administration to shape and pass the Boundary Waters Wilderness Act. By signing this bill, President Carter put in place the protections that made the Boundary Waters what it is today. This was not an easy thing to do. For many in his own party, this was not a popular bill. Timber and extractive industries exerted a huge amount of influence, but in the end, Carter championed a bill that has had a profound impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who love wild places and who have been touched by the splendor of the Boundary Waters.

Along with signing the Boundary Waters Wilderness Act and protecting a jewel of the American wilderness, his commitment to conservation resulted in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, which protected over 157 million acres of wilderness, creating new National Parks and Wildlife Refuges in what remains the largest expansion of protected lands in American history. He took bold steps toward renewable energy, famously installing solar panels on the White House roof and advocating for a national transition to clean energy. While some ridiculed these steps at the time, they have proved to be remarkably forward-thinking.

Carter’s connection to the natural world was deeply personal. An avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and hiking, he understood that America’s wild spaces were not just resources to be managed, but a vital part of the nation’s heritage and character.