Do you know who this is? Here’s a hint. Repeat after me. No more DDT.
Pictured above is Rachel Carlson, author of Silent Spring, the seminal work from 1962 exposing the harmful effect of pesticides poured into the environment (and being absorbed in our water, soil, produce and in our very pores).
Rachel Carson’s efforts, derided by chemical companies, ultimately raised public awareness of the harm we are doing to the environment and to ourselves by the unbridled use of pesticides. This damage, physically and metaphorically, is leading the world to a spring with no sing from the birds (poisoned along with their support systems), a silent spring.
Carlson’s elegant scientific environmental journalism paved the way for the environmental consciousness, a nationwide ban on DDT, and the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fighting cancer, she completed and promoted her work, ultimately inspiring the environmental movement.
What’s Happened Since Silent Spring was published?
Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962, much has occurred toward regulating pesticide use.
Some good:
- The EPA was established in 1970, centralizing authority and oversite of environmental hazards including pesticides
- The Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA) was past, amending and updated previous acts of a much more limited scope
- Integratedhi pest management strategies have been implemented, combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools, have been promoted in an effort to lessen pesticide use (and damage) while mitigating risks.
Some showing there’s a long way to go:
- There are still many health and environmental Concerns. It seems like every other day there’s an article in the paper about weed killers causing cancer.
- Plenty of regulatory gaps exist, with great concern that current regulations don’t adequately address the total effects of pesticides, whether direct or synergistic.
And Now…
The current Trump administration has appointed Lee Zeldin to head the EPA. Lee Zeldin is described by the Sierra Club as seeking to “carry out a mission antithetical to the EPA’s mission.” So far his mission has included slashing $20B in funding, canceling existing contracts and grants related to environmental justice and other initiatives and ending a $50M environmental justice grant.
Doesn’t sound that great on an environmental front.
Don’t Be Silent This Spring
Yeah, it’s not what the author meant by silent spring, but if you care about Rachel Carlson’s environmental message, don’t just be silent and accept the negative turn taken by those charged with stewarding the safety of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume.
Find your representative and let them know how you feel.
Support organizations that continue to forward the work done by Rachel Carlson, including the Silent Spring Institute.
A Green Success Story – With More Chapters To Write
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring opened people’s eyes to the damage caused to our environment and to us by unbridled use of pesticides. It led to the formation of the EPA and to the start of the environmental movement.
While being successful in garnering awareness and regulation, US federal funding is currently being taken away from previously approved efforts. Further, pesticide use continues to grow worldwide, as do the direct and correlated damage – cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases, neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, to name a few – caused by pesticide exposure and absorption.
There’s a whole many successes left to achieve in this regard. Let’s not be silent in making them happen.
