FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Keeping Rachel Carson's Legacy Alive
Contacts:
- Marcia Cooper, President, Green Decade Newton, marciacooper@greendecade.org, 617-964-8567, c 617-416-1969
- Ellie Goldberg, ellei.goldberg@gmail.com, 617-965-9637, c 617-930-4327, GreenCAP; Board Member, Silent Spring Institute
May 27, 2014. Green Decade Newton is joined by the City of Newton in recognizing Rachel Carson, a scientist and celebrated author, for her outstanding, dedicated and selfless service to nature, our environment and public health.
Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, alerted the world to the hazards of pesticides and inspired the creation of the U.S. EPA, the U.S. ban on DDT, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. 2014 is the 50th anniversary of Carson's death from breast cancer April 14, 1964.
Green Decade Newton’s Committee for Alternatives to Pesticides (GreenCAP) promotes the annual recognition of Rachel Carson’s legacy on her birthday, May 27.
GreenCAP was organized by a group of concerned Green Decade members in 1994 after Dr. Rita Arditti's presentation about cancer as an environmental disease.
Dr. Arditti, a biologist, educator and activist, was a co-founder of the Women’s Community Cancer Project in 1989. Their slogan was “Rachel Carson Was Right.” (Dr. Arditti died of breast cancer on Christmas Day, 2009.)
At a Carson Centennial event at Newton Free Library in 2007, Dr. Arditti emphasized Carson’s message “Prevention is the Imperative” and that Silent Spring is as current today as it was in 1962.
Green Decade Newton’s programs are designed to provide education and empower citizens to take personal and civic action for energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and conservation of vital resources.
For more information visit the Green Decade table at Newton’s Farmer’s Market and go to greendecade.org. Find resources such as Pest Control the Old Way the BEST Way (pdf) and Spring Safety Tips (pdf).
(May 27, 1907 – April 14,1964)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts City of Newton
May 27, 2014. The City of Newton proudly awards this Certificate of Commendation in honor of Rachel Carson in recognition of her outstanding, dedicated and selfless service to nature, our environment and public health. Rachel Carson taught us that our health is intimately connected to the heath of our environment, and that safeguarding our ecosystem protects our health and the environmental resources on which all life depends. City of Newton is proud to join Green Decade in honoring the legacy of Rachel Carson.
