Ed. note: Happy Earth Day everyone! Here is a reflection on Rachel Carson's legacy from DeSmog contributor Joanna Zelman:
When I was first assigned to read a segment from Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” in a college class, I skipped the homework assignment. But the next day, the other students were engaged in such a heated debate over the piece, that I went home and read it the following evening (instead of doing my next homework assignment.) I’d never seen one piece of writing spark such animated discussion in a class that met after lunch.
Rachel Carson’s work has done more for me than boost my scientific knowledge. She has taught me the rather simple, quite powerful fact that if I act irresponsibly, my actions will come back to harm me. If I embrace practices that contribute to global warming - drive a gas-guzzling car, eat beef, or leave all of my electronics plugged in, then I, my children, my grandchildren, and also my great-great-great-great-grandchildren will pay the price for my actions.
For those who do not know about Rachel Carson, she was a writer and scientist credited for helping to inspire the modern environmental movement. Her book “Silent Spring” challenged the practices of agricultural companies and the government, questioning the effects of pesticides on the environment and human health. The book was controversial and it was a game-changer. Seventy years after Carson published her first book, Open Road Media is releasing Rachel Carson’s "Under the Sea Wind," "The Sea Around Us," and "A Sense of Wonder" as ebooks in time for Earth Day 2011.
