What Can One Person Do?

Rachel Carson enjoyed a successful career as a government biologist and writer, penning essays on marine life that are still relevant. But she is best remembered as a reluctant activist and the author of "Silent Spring"--the landmark York Times best seller that exposed the ecological and health hazards of DDT. It reached millions and helped shape the environmental movement as we know it today. She defended Silent Spring's arguments before presidential and congressional scientific panels. Her perspective shook the prevailing view of our place in the web of life, and called for us to take responsibility for the preservation of the earth's diversity.

We can thank Rachel for the stronger regulations of toxic chemicals like DDT. On the Environmental Protection Agency's webpage, it says: "There is no question that Silent Spring prompted the Federal Government to take action against water and air pollution years before it otherwise might have moved."

Rachel Carson changed the world with her activism. Let us remember her words - Conservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we say, 'Our work is finished.'