Reflections on Silent Spring at 60
After 60 years,
Silent Spring is still changing the world.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson I had the pleasure of being a part of a roundtable discussion with a scientist, farmer, journalist and biologist on the legacy of this groundbreaking book.
Sixty years ago, Rachel Carson released her seminal book, Silent Spring, whose publication gave birth to the EPA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and sparked the ban on the toxic insecticide DDT and the movement for organic agriculture. Six decades on, the threats Carson warned about are still very real.
Each of us are working from our respective fields to address and sound the alarm on the proliferation of toxic pesticides in our everyday lives. Moderated by Anna Lappé, our conversation is featured in Civil Eats. Register here.
I must admit, when I first got involved with the environmental and food justice movement on Kauaʻi, I had not read Silent Spring.
At the time, West Kauaʻi was ground zero for testing pesticide-resistant crops and home to the largest footprint of agrochemical test fields in Hawaiʻi. GMO test fields applying undisclosed cocktails of pesticides were planted directly adjacent to the local communities of Waimea and Kekaha. Pesticides regularly drifted into homes, schools, and other sensitive areas. Yet despite increasing health impacts residents could not even get modest protections in place or basic disclosure on what pesticides they were being routinely exposed to. The most mind-blowing thing about reading Silent Spring after engaging in this work was realizing how long we have known about the dangers of pesticides and, despite this knowledge, how dismal our regulatory oversight and protections are today. While the collective movement in Hawaiʻi has had some substantial wins, they have been too slow, hard fought, and do not go far enough.
Mahalo to the author and educator Anna Lappé for convening us and moderating our conversation, to my incredible fellow panelists: Mas Masumoto, a California organic peach farmer and author; his forthcoming memoir Secret Harvests is a tale of family farms and a history of secrets. Marcia Ishii is a Senior Scientist at Pesticide Action Network of North America, where she has worked for 26 years as a senior scientist. Sharon Lerner is an investigative journalist who has reported on pesticides, chemical regulation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandra Steingraber is a biologist and author, who blends her gifts as a writer, storyteller, and scientist with advocacy.
There are so many pearls of wisdom from my fellow panelists in this conversation. I appreciated the focus on the capture of our regulatory systems by industry and what sparks of hope each panelist sees from their respective vantage points. I hope you will find it enlightening.
More Musings on the Legacy of ‘Silent Spring’
In addition to checking out the roundtable discussion in Civil Eats, I invite you to read (or re-read) Silent Spring and listen in on an upcoming webinar on the current state of pesticide regulation across the US and what you can do about it:
Silent Spring, edited by Sandra Steingraber
Fellow Civil Eats roundtable panelist Sandra Steingraber has edited a new release of Silent Spring which includes rare and previously unpublished letters, speeches and other writings that reveal the personal courage and passionate commitment of its author.
Honoring Silent Spring - Stories from the Frontlines of the Fight for a Pesticide Free Future
If you want to learn more about what is happening at the national level, leading movement voices will convene for a webinar on Silent Spring next week, October 25th at 7am HST / 10am PT / 1pm ET
Panelists include: Moderator: Anna Lappé(author & educator); Senator Cory Booker; Angel Garcia (Californians for Pesticide Reform); Carey Gillam (investigative journalist); Kendra Klein (Friends of the Earth); and George Naylor (farmer)
Sixty years ago, Rachel Carson released her seminal book, Silent Spring, whose publication gave birth to the EPA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and sparked the ban on the toxic insecticide DDT and the movement for organic agriculture. Six decades on, the threats Carson warned about are still very real. In this engaging webinar, we’ll hear about what’s at stake and what we can do about it.