"Rachel Carson's contribution to the environmental movement"

Rachel Louise Carson was born May 27, 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania in a rural river town.  She was multitalented, having writer, scientist, and ecologist professions under her belt.  From an early age she was introduced to the love of nature by her mother and this passion was expressed in her writings and in her desire to become a marine biologist.  She received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania College for Women, and in 1932 graduated with a MA in zoology at John Hopkins University.  

During the depression she used her skills to write radio scripts for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and wrote natural history articles for the Baltimore Sun.  Her hard work led  to the position as Editor-in-Chief for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service after dedicating fifteen years of her life to her scientific and editorial duties.  Her early writings focused mainly on conservation and natural resources, later turning her government research into an article entitled “Undersea”.  In 1941 Carson turned her article, “Undersea”, into a novel entitled Under the Sea-wind.  In the years to follow she published The Sea Around Us, which won her accolades, where she wrote about her studies of the ocean.  This novel was trailed by The Edge of the Sea in 1955.  “These books constituted a biography of the ocean and made Carson famous as a naturalist and science writer for the public.”

In 1952 Carson retired from serving the public and turned her time fully to writing.  This dedication led to several articles on opening the mind of people about the, “wonder and beauty of the living world”.  All of Carson’s writing focused on the basis that humans were a significant part of nature due to their ability to sometimes irreversibly, drastically change their environment.  This viewpoint led to her 1962 global eye opener aptly titled, Silent Spring.  Its goal was to warn the public about the long term effects of synthetic chemical pesticides, which were commonly used in World War II.  She was criticized by both the government and the chemical industry, but stood her ground to bring awareness to the harmful effects humans cause to their natural environment.  She also warned people that they too are susceptible to their pollution practices.  Carson called for new policies addressing the issues of human health and the environment in 1963 before Congress.   

On April 14, 1964 Rachel Carson died after a long bout against breast cancer.   Though she has passed on her legacy still lives on.  This can be seen in policies that were established environmentally after her passionate awareness of calling humans out for their neglect to their environment.  Her books are read by students across the globe, inviting us to understand the role we play in our environment, and also cautioning us of our vulnerability in the future.  

Lear, L. (n.d.). The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from http://www.rachelcarson.org/Biography.aspx#.UdF7E21jGk8