How did 'Silent Spring' shape America? | Minnesota Public Radio ... December 10, 2012

(Courtesy Library of Congress)

Guests

• William Souder: Author of "On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson"
• Linda Lear: Author of "Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature"

Historians have said that the beginning of the American environmental movement can be traced back to the date, 50 years ago, when Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was published. The work shocked the public, led to the passage of the Clean Water Act and the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

William Souder, author of "On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson," will join The Daily Circuit Monday, Dec. 10 to talk about Carson's landmark book. 

"I think the message of 'Silent Spring' does still resonate," he said on The Diane Rehm Show earlier this year. "I think people are more sensitive now to the idea that we can contaminate the environment with chemicals. When Carson wrote 'Silent Spring' this was really not an idea that had occurred to people before. And that was one of the reasons that she drew such an explicit link between chemical contamination and the contamination that was then happening from nuclear testing around the world." 

Linda Lear, author of "Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature," will also join the discussion. 

This is the fourth and final look at one of the 88 titles on the Library of Congress' list of books that shaped America. We picked "Silent Spring" after listener requests. 

READ MORE ABOUT "SILENT SPRING:"
How 'Silent Spring' ignited the environmental movement (New York Times)
Rachel Carson's lessons, 50 years after "Silent Spring" (New York Times)
Video: The legacy of "Silent Spring" (CBS News)

minnesota.publicradio.org/.../daily-circuit-rachel-carson-silent-...

The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson

Events and Conferences from Around the World

If you would like to include a conference or an event, please email michael.friscia@yale.edu with conference information and materials.

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Linda Lear's Appearances - Rachel Carson Series

Location:
Montreal, CA. Magill University. Sept.19-21
Raleigh, NC. NC State. Sept. 27-29
Five Decades After Silent Spring . A Symposium at Connecticut College, New London. CT. Oct 17-19

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Five Decades After Silent Spring

A Symposium at Connecticut College, New London. CT. Oct 17-19
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Sandra Steingraber, featured speaker
Featuring a panel of environmental activists and scholars including Dr. Naomi Orestes, author of Merchants of Doubt.(italics) and visiting scholar Coner Jameson author of Silent Spring Revisited.

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Our Planet and Our Health- The Impact of Silent Spring after Fifty Years

Download PDF Date: October 26, 2012 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Location: Chatham University Eddy Theater
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Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, published 50 years ago in 1962, brought global attention to the consequences of unrestrained use of toxic pesticides such as DDT. Among the actions taken in response to her work was a ban on DDT by the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency in 1976, over a decade after Rachel Carson’s death. The success of Silent Spring and its rapid popularity was based on Rachel Carson’s reputation and credibility as a writer and scientist on the subject of the oceans. Her books The Sea Around Us, The Edge of the Sea and Under the Sea Wind established her in the public eye as a significant scholar and writer. Thus, in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of publication of Silent Spring, it is appropriate to turn to the oceans as a touchstone for evaluating the impact of her work.