Rachel Carson Brought Awareness to the Impact of Pollution on the Environment, Mini Biography
Name: Rachel Carson
Birth Date: May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964
Job Functions: Scientist, Nature Writer
Fields: Science, Environment
Known For: Silent Spring
Introduction
Rachel Carson was an environmentalist long before it was cool to be labelled an environmentalist, and is often credited with starting the environmental movement in the United States.
She is best known for her 1962 book, Silent Spring
, which she used to bring awareness to the irreparable damage overuse of pesticides, especially DDT had on the environment. The public outcry in response to the book, forced the government to take action, and out of that the Environmental Protection Agency was born.
Rachel Carson, the youngest of three children, lived on 65 acres of land that her parents owned. Her mother, Maria McLean Carson, instilled in her daughter a love of nature, and an appreciation for music, art and literature. The 65 acres had woods, animals and streams, and from an early age she learned about and understood the relationship between the land and animals.
At a young age, Carson had a respect for nature. And she knew something that most people today who are in the twilight of their lives do not know. That is man is not the master of nature.
She did not have many friends so she whiled away the time reading and studying nature. In this mini biography of Rachel Carson, whose seminal work started the environmental movement in the United States, we will learn more about her and her work.
Rachel Carson’s Steps to Success
While at John Hopkins, Rachel Carson studied zoology and genetics. But she struggled both financially and with her scientific experiments. It's difficult to give your full attention to anything when you have to be worrying about money. Nevertheless, she completed her Master’s dissertation in 1932. She also completed her postgraduate work at Woods Hole Marine Laboratory in Massachusetts. And then worked on the zoology staff at the University of Maryland.
Unfortunately, she entered the job market at the beginning of the Great Depression when the best jobs were scarce. She contacted Elmer Higgins, head of the Division of Scientific Inquiry at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. She had had an interview at the beginning of her graduate studies. And she learned that there was an opening for a part-time science writer to work on radio scripts. Carson got the highest score on the civil service exam and became the second woman to be hired for a permanent position at the Bureau of Fisheries.
There were a few deaths in Carson’s family which forced her to take care of her nieces and mother, increasing the financial pressures on her. In her role at fisheries, the government publications she edited were diverse, one day she would be editing a pamphlet on how to cook fish. And another day would see her editing a scientific journal.
This position allowed her to hone her writing skills and she became a ruthless editor. Higgins believed that one of her radio scripts was too “literary.” He recommended that she transform it into and essay and submit to the Atlantic Monthly. She did, and to her surprise it was accepted. A widely read journal, her article caught the attention of Simon & Shuster who suggested that she expand her four-page essay into a book.
Rachel Carson took the advice and wrote Under the Sea Wind
, which was published in 1944. It gained her some acclaim. But a month after its publication, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and attention was placed there. By this time, the Bureau of Fisheries had already merged with Biological Survey in 1940, and the government department was renamed Fish and Wildlife Service. Carson benefited, and secured several promotions and became biologist and chief editor after World War II.
She turned her attention to writing a book on oceanography, and The Sea around Us
was published in 1951. Rachel Carson received her just deserts – The Sea around Us was an instant success. It was at the top of the bestseller’s list for 39 weeks. And it was translated into 30 languages. Reader’s Digest produced an abridged version and it was a Book-of-the-Month Club alternative choice. Money was no longer a concern so she started writing another book, and The Edge of the Sea
was published in 1955.
There are always problems around us that need solving.
Olga Owens Huckins, a friend of Carson, wrote to her in 1958 complaining about the devastating effects of the widespread use of pesticides. After consultation with author and essayist E B White (author of Charlotte’s Web my review and Stuart Little my review) and William Shawn the editor of the New Yorker, Carson turned her focus to writing her next book.
The book is based on scientific data, and many experts assisted her in collecting. She invested four years to collect the data for Silent Spring
. The book appeared in serial form in the New Yorker in 1962.
The chemical companies and all those who had a vested interest in pesticide sales tried to vilify and tarnish her reputation. But Carson had done a good job, so her book stood up to scrutiny. For two years, she traveled across the US bringing attention to the problem with the widespread use of pesticide which gained her many fans.
Carson died two years later from breast cancer. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter posthumously awarded her the President’s Medal of Freedom.
Biggest Accomplishments – Why Rachel Carson’s Contribution Matters
Her book Silent Spring started the environmental movement.
Lessons from Rachel Carson
- The power of great teachers: While at Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College) pursuing a four-year scholarship to become a writer, her biology professor, Mary Scott Skinker created such an impression on Carson that she altered her career trajectory. Rachel Carson switched her major from English to Zoology. Skinker also helped Carson to obtain a summer fellowship at the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole in Massachusetts and then a one-year scholarship from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
- Persistence pays: Carson struggled financially, but by marrying two skills she excelled in, writing and science, she wrote bestselling books. Her books brought her financial freedom.
- Keep a cool head: When the chemical manufacturers tried to discredit her and her work, Rachel Carson's level-headedness won her supporters, and reminded me of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling.
“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise…”
Books by Rachel Carson
Under the Sea-Wind
, 1941
The Sea Around Us
, 1951
The Edge of the Sea
, 1955
Silent Spring
, 1962
The Sense of Wonder
, 1965
What problems are you aware of that you can solve?
How Avil Can Help You!
I invite you to Join the Performance Accelerator Plan that walks you through the process and more. You’ll be reading books to build skills and develop intercultural awareness. Get more reading and learning tips here. And I also invite you to join Read a Book, Solve a Problem Facebook Group. I’m building a tribe of people who want to use the knowledge gained from books to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems.
In December 2020, I published two books on Amazon. I would greatly appreciate your support if you bought my two short e-books Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon and Performance Accelerator Plan: Guide to Learning and Mastering Key Skills for the Future.
Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon is not about speed reading. It’s about approaching every book differently and reading only the sections that align with your purpose.
The Performance Accelerator Plan book is a stripped-down version of the paid reading challenge of the same name. Obviously, you won’t get all the resources that come with the program that I sell on my website. But if you are a self-directed learner, it will help you tremendously.
If you click on one of the links below and buy any of the books, Amazon will pay me a small commission.
Sources: Works Cited/Referenced
American Decades Primary Sources
Animal Sciences
Science and Its Times
The Environment in Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography
