Fifty years ago,
Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published. It is credited with giving birth
to the environmental movement--or as Conservatives like to say, spineless,
tree-hugging communist anti-American dirt lovers. Carson wrote of the damage
being caused by the careless use of pesticides and other chemicals on our land.
She also wrote of the unintended consequences that occurred when humans tried
to “re-do” the land to their advantage—an activity no less indulged in today.
It was meant to scare readers, no doubt, into action. But it was also a
cautionary tale for future generations about what can happen when we try to
"manage" nature for our use and convenience.
Sadly, as I read
this book today, I see words unheeded. We are a nation that continues to use
more pesticides than we can handle. We have so many chemicals in our homes and
yards that we have absorbed them into our bodies. We have contaminated our
drinking water with "patented" chemicals via the drilling process
known as fracking, in an effort to get cheap fuel. We have contaminated
our air with industrial pollutants and carbon emissions that warm our planet
and cause erratic (and even deadly) weather patterns. We have caused drought and floods in our futile attempt to
control rivers and streams. And we waste. We are urged to buy "easy"
disposable products that end up in landfills for generations and add to the
already dirty mess we've made.
Was Rachel Carson's environmental classic all for naught?
In many ways, we have not listened to her warning. But the strides made in the
1970's, and the creation of the EPA, are steps in the right direction. But
there is still so much work to do. Reducing our carbon load and chemical impact
as a nation is a big part--but that can only happen if we speak up and support
projects and legislation that promote those things. On a small scale,
recycling, halting the use of pesticides in your home and on your lawn, buying
organic food and free-range meat & eggs, and being more conscientious about
how you live in general can make a big impact on the people and land around
you. It starts with us.
