Go Green is a new catchphrase and phenomenon which aspires to raise environmental consciousness. Environmental awareness is a broad term including global warming, pollution, clean accessible water, organic foods, animal protection, and reforestation. Today’s environmental movement encompasses many ideas and concerns, but the modern environmental movement originated in the 1960s with one particular issue: pesticides. Rachel Carson, a biologist, raised American consciousness about pesticides with her book Silent Spring. Carson’s 1962 book resulted in the prohibition of America’s favorite pesticide; DDT. Carson’s booked helped spark the modern environmental movement by raising American consciousness which then further progressed into the environmental
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For example, in 1946, the city of San Antonio conducted a city-wide spraying of DDT to prevent the spread of polio. Video of the spraying shows the city covered in a massive cloud of DDT. Although unknown at the time, insects did not transmit polio, but they did cause the spread of Malaria which was another critical issue during the first half of the twentieth century. In 1945, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) transformed ten biplanes to transport to Greece to combat the prevailing malaria outbreak and dispense DDT from the air. Besides diseases, general insect infestation resulted in the use of insecticides. In Canada, a budworm infestation in New Brunswick and Quebec led to aerial spraying over the two provinces. As a result, a report revealed about 825,000 salmon and trout were killed. Evidently, countries worldwide applied DDT to their ecosystems and Rachel Carson criticized the repercussions of DDT including the hundreds and thousands of bird, fish and wildlife loss. She especially criticized the use of insecticides for infestation problems and believed in the implication of safer methods. In fact, a friend of Carson’s wrote to her describing the deaths of her birds after a city spraying of DDT in Massachusetts. Carson cited this letter as the inspiration for writing Silent …show more content…
She received criticism and personal attacks from the agricultural and chemical industry. They attempted to illustrate her reaction to DDT as a stereotypical women’s hysteria and tried to discredit her research based on gender. The President’s PSAC report validated Carson’s work and led to congressional hearing for pesticides. After the public discovered the harm DDT provided to animals and themselves, they supported the prohibition of DDT. Soon, other environmental disasters alerted the public and progressed into the modern environmental movement. The first earth day demonstration, the establishment of EPA, and the banning of DDT are some of the successes of the movement. Today, Silent Spring remains Carson’s most influential book and the environmental movement continues with new concepts for a safer
For example, in 1946, the city of San Antonio conducted a city-wide spraying of DDT to prevent the spread of polio. Video of the spraying shows the city covered in a massive cloud of DDT. Although unknown at the time, insects did not transmit polio, but they did cause the spread of Malaria which was another critical issue during the first half of the twentieth century. In 1945, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) transformed ten biplanes to transport to Greece to combat the prevailing malaria outbreak and dispense DDT from the air. Besides diseases, general insect infestation resulted in the use of insecticides. In Canada, a budworm infestation in New Brunswick and Quebec led to aerial spraying over the two provinces. As a result, a report revealed about 825,000 salmon and trout were killed. Evidently, countries worldwide applied DDT to their ecosystems and Rachel Carson criticized the repercussions of DDT including the hundreds and thousands of bird, fish and wildlife loss. She especially criticized the use of insecticides for infestation problems and believed in the implication of safer methods. In fact, a friend of Carson’s wrote to her describing the deaths of her birds after a city spraying of DDT in Massachusetts. Carson cited this letter as the inspiration for writing Silent …show more content…
She received criticism and personal attacks from the agricultural and chemical industry. They attempted to illustrate her reaction to DDT as a stereotypical women’s hysteria and tried to discredit her research based on gender. The President’s PSAC report validated Carson’s work and led to congressional hearing for pesticides. After the public discovered the harm DDT provided to animals and themselves, they supported the prohibition of DDT. Soon, other environmental disasters alerted the public and progressed into the modern environmental movement. The first earth day demonstration, the establishment of EPA, and the banning of DDT are some of the successes of the movement. Today, Silent Spring remains Carson’s most influential book and the environmental movement continues with new concepts for a safer