Eco Warriors

Wild Encounters
Garbage into Gold
Snake Saviour
Pigeon Lady
Queen among Elephants
Rachel Carson
Gerald Durrell
A Sacred Space
Jane Goodall
Greenpeace movement
When mom takes over
A Tree House for Butterfly!
The Tree Huggers of Khejadali

Rachel Carson

By Rani Iyer

The first time I heard about silent spring, I thought it was a poem. Passages from the book were read by one of my teachers, and the lyrical quality of the prose kept the class spellbound. Rachel Carson was a scientist, writer, educator, conservationist, and a nature lover. She wore many hats. Born on May 27, 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania, she was one of the three children.
Rachel chose a career in science, a field that was not open to women at that time. She was hardworking, and often spent hours in the library and seashore to learn more about things that fascinated her. When she could not afford to pay her tuition fees for college, she tried supporting herself by writing for magazines on nature and doing odd jobs.

When that did not help, she gave up her property to the college in order to cover for the fees.
After she graduated from college, she began to work in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to write radio scripts and pamphlets for the public. From this position she rose to become the Editor-in-chief for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a distinction achieved by few women. To supplement her income, she continued to write to magazines that eventually led to the publication of her first book. In her lifetime she wrote four books: Under the sea wind (1941), The sea around us (1952), The edge of the sea (1955) and The silent spring (1963). While all her earlier books dealt with the life of the creatures in the sea, it was her final book, ‘The silent spring,’ that caused alarm all over the world.
Pesticides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers were used in all countries, sometimes indiscriminately, for killing or improving the yield. But these chemicals persisted in the food chain and caused harm to the ecosystem and finally reached man. Rachel died on April 14, 1964 after a long fight against cancer. Her fifth book, ‘A sense of wonder,’ was published posthumously. The spirit of Rachel teaches us to leave things as we find them. For progress should not mean destruction of nature.

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Last updated on :3/26/2004

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User's Comments

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Genna: I thought she was also a scientist

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alex: I love Rachel

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Tina: She is not all that cool

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loverachel: Why do you think she's not that cool? She did all that with the ecosystem...she helped us understand what exactly chemicals are doing to our ecosystems - she didn't ask for respect but actually asked why we have such a lack of respect for our ecosystems. she was a hero, a brave woman. She will live forever in our hearts.

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Armygirl: If it wasn't for her you would not be alive because of DDT. A chemical that destroyed everything. It was only meant to kill pests. People actually sprayed it on animals and CHILDREN!

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parag.dave: Great job Snehal Bhatt. Keep going on this. I want to make people aware about reptiles. If I can have her address and contact email please kindly give me information if you can provide.

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Jim Newquist: I am looking for science activities to enable children to understand the life and achievements of Rachel Carson.

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