A wonderful piece. She would be pilloried today by Republicans. But her dignity and rejection of the tech platforms, which I assume she would have done, might have raised her profile. McKibben comes to mind.
Please note that not all Republicans will react that way. This gross generalization supports the point about how things would be handled today: polarization and finger-pointing. In truth, many Republicans, along with many Democrats, Independents, and unafilliateds, are greatly sensitive to and deeply concerned about nature and respectful of Rachel Carson.
You're right, Carolyn, that there are still many conservatives/Republicans who care about the natural world. Many are tied to it through farming, fishing, hunting, or birdwatching, and many are well educated about conservation. There's much to navigate politically in terms of how to address the crises we face as the natural world unravels. Business as usual will not save us, nor will a slow negotiation. I see hope particularly in bipartisan support for the Endangered Species Act, and for the RAWA act that would be a game changer for conservation funding in the U.S. But to be fair to Kevin's point here, what passes now for Republican leadership is in the business of pillorying, rather than talking with, the "opposition" and its climate/nature legislative goals. Much of this stems from the media environment now, and from gerrymandered districts, etc., but those are different topics. To your point, I think that Carson shines brightly in the memory of folks of all political persuasions, but that memory comes from a very different cultural moment.
The attacks continue today. Every tactic from vitriol to false statements about her credentials come forth in jingoistic prose. She needs more defenders.
Thanks, Ray. I do like to think that she prevailed. Yep, as you point out, she does need more defenders. Yet I'm forever amazed at what she accomplished.
I'm glad you republished this, especially as it feels more relevant every year. I thought immediately of Sandra Steingraber's books, which bring forth that kind of knowledge of the chemical industry wrapped with her own personal health struggles as a result of it. They're eye-opening and vivid, yet seem to have sparked little change. You've also reminded me that I bought Erin Brokovich's book "Superman's Not Coming" when it came out and it is still on my TBR pile.
Like you, I take heart from the actions and values of people, no matter what results they themselves saw -- in my case, my maternal grandmother, who barely saw the end of the Soviet Union and never hoped for a better life or country, but stayed true to her values and morals anyway. Maybe we start with being the kind of ancestor we admire, or wish we had, and go from there.
Then, added to what you've pointed out, there's the immense benefits of hope -- all it can do for us. (Hey, I'm working on an essay featuring Red Admirals and the assassination of Alexander II, among other things.)
We have been going to a beach house in Madison, Connecticut for the last 20 years. There is a large outcrop of rocks, which contain tidal pools, where we start and end our days.
When the kids were very little, we would spend hours out there, traveling from one tiny ecosystem to the next, noting similarities and differences in life among the pools.
Somebody – probably one of the children - eventually named this past-time "Crab TV."
All these years later, we still go to the rocks and gaze at the teeming cast of characters, giving names and ascribing plot lines to the hermit crabs & other aquatic critters.
Crab TV remains one of my favorite ways to get into flow-- not because I'm doing or accomplishing anything per se, but just being completely tuned in and mesmerized by the tiny wonder of it all.
Nice essay. I'm a big fan of Rachel Carson's writing. Here's another favorite quote of hers from her THE SENSE OF WONDER book, that I included in my WILD AND WONDROUS book: "Drink in the beauty and think and wonder at the meaning of what you see."
Hi Bryan - You ask if we have listened. Some. Maybe. But not deeply enough judging by the state of this planet on which we depend. I seem to find myself fighting the same battles against pesticides and for open space that i have fought since the 70s, albeit with arguments amplified by this moment in .
Saturday I took the T to Revere Beach - I love going to the far corner of the beach to watch sea birds and shore birds feast on the gifts of the receding tide. As I was walking toward that far reach I had my eye on a floating patch of seaweed, or so I thought. As I neared the "seaweed", it revealed itself to be a raft of multiple families of Common eider, soon to be joined by 2 males. Must have been about 20 black fuzz-balls bobbing along.
And so goes the rollercoaster of grief and wonder...
This so captures the challenge: to reconcile the struggle to see and create good things in the world, how hard that can be when we're faced with injustice, with the beauty of nature right there in front of it all, in front of us. Thanks, Zara. A rollercoaster indeed. (And those male eiders are about to blow town to who knows where -- like most ducks, they're "deadbeat dads!")
Rachel Carson wrote a pamphlet titled "Food from the Sea" for the US Dept of the Interior in 1943. She discusses the alewife migration and how pollution and carelessness had impacted the fish. "Edge of the Sea" (my favorite book) shows how her thinking on the web of life and its spiritual essence continued to evolve. I often go to that same pool...
What a beautiful, poignant and timely commentary. Thank you! My brother created a lovely sculpture of Rachel Carson which you can see here: http://douglasalvordart.com/
Although I've not seen it in person, I know that sculpture! Thanks, Cynthia -- and what a legacy Douglas left to all of us. I'm grateful for him and his work.
Thank you Brian. Doug was totally enamored with Rachel Carson and her work. If only someone could write something today, as potent and effective as she did!
Even though I wasn’t born until the 70s I long for the time of Rachel Carson, when a person with real expertise and passion to match could make a difference. The world has changed in terms of the impact of passionate experts but unfortunately it has not changed with respect to the long-term and often permanent effects of exposure to toxins, particularly for the young. Thank-you so much for a great article about an amazing woman.
I so miss that time as well. Not that it was perfect back then -- far from it. But I believe, like Dr. King, that the arc still does bend gradually toward justice. Sometimes it's so hard to see, however, and sometimes we go backwards. And when I'm bummed about that, I think of Rachel Carson — her strength, her science, her sense of wonder. It keeps me going. Thanks, Tara!
My grandchildren seem aware. Her book was published as I graduated from High School. I read it immediately. It became part of my life's work and my conversations with family and friends. Hope remains even in the quiet spring.
Thanks, Sue. You know ... the idea that Rachel Carson did so much for nature is almost a cliché these days. But, as you know, her impact cannot be overstated. And it's essential that we continue to honor her — a brave, brilliant, caring and amazing human being.
I read Silent Spring in 1964 and wrote a high school theme paper (remember those?) about it and Rachel Carson. Such an amazing woman with incredible strength to deal with what she was faced with in the industrial scientific community, while quietly trying to outlive her cancer. We have strong women scientists and environmentalists today: Sandra Steingraber, Maude Barlow, Elizabeth Kolbert, but they and others are drowned out by the garbage that passes for news and politics now.
Oh, Bryan, I'm afraid that the theme paper has disappeared at some point in the past 60 years, tho I have a vague memory of running across it 25-30 years ago in the farmhouse I grew up in.
Robin Wall Kimmerer would certainly be on the list. Another harbinger of truth is James Hansen, who has certainly had his share of slings and arrows. Unfortunately, the power of the fossil fuel industry is enormous. They know who to buy and how much it takes.
Thanks, Holly. And maybe we need to redefine making a difference in this era? Maybe it also happens among the individuals we meet on the road .. and the ways we might ease the pain together. Sending you healing vibes.
“If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.”
I've been enamored by the shoreline, feeling at home and peace there, since my childhood in Rhode Island. The muchness of it all. Perhaps there is an intrinsic difference between people that grow up by the seacoast as opposed to those on the plains; something to think about.
My prayer is that we are indeed inexorably marching toward balance, and that we get there before the constant impediments cause it to be too late.
Thanks so much, RIchard. Yeah, I grew up on the Great Lakes. Haven't lived there for nearly 40 years. But those waters and their shorelines are still very much wired into me. I feel it every time I visit.
A wonderful piece. She would be pilloried today by Republicans. But her dignity and rejection of the tech platforms, which I assume she would have done, might have raised her profile. McKibben comes to mind.
McKibben does indeed come to mind. My big formative books from that era:
- Silent Spring
- Bill McKibben's End of Nature
- Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet
- Jonathan Schell's Fate of the Earth.
I dunno — have we listened?
Please note that not all Republicans will react that way. This gross generalization supports the point about how things would be handled today: polarization and finger-pointing. In truth, many Republicans, along with many Democrats, Independents, and unafilliateds, are greatly sensitive to and deeply concerned about nature and respectful of Rachel Carson.
You're right, Carolyn, that there are still many conservatives/Republicans who care about the natural world. Many are tied to it through farming, fishing, hunting, or birdwatching, and many are well educated about conservation. There's much to navigate politically in terms of how to address the crises we face as the natural world unravels. Business as usual will not save us, nor will a slow negotiation. I see hope particularly in bipartisan support for the Endangered Species Act, and for the RAWA act that would be a game changer for conservation funding in the U.S. But to be fair to Kevin's point here, what passes now for Republican leadership is in the business of pillorying, rather than talking with, the "opposition" and its climate/nature legislative goals. Much of this stems from the media environment now, and from gerrymandered districts, etc., but those are different topics. To your point, I think that Carson shines brightly in the memory of folks of all political persuasions, but that memory comes from a very different cultural moment.
The attacks continue today. Every tactic from vitriol to false statements about her credentials come forth in jingoistic prose. She needs more defenders.
Thanks, Ray. I do like to think that she prevailed. Yep, as you point out, she does need more defenders. Yet I'm forever amazed at what she accomplished.
No matter how many times I read that, it remains thought provoking and poetic. Thank you
I'm glad you republished this, especially as it feels more relevant every year. I thought immediately of Sandra Steingraber's books, which bring forth that kind of knowledge of the chemical industry wrapped with her own personal health struggles as a result of it. They're eye-opening and vivid, yet seem to have sparked little change. You've also reminded me that I bought Erin Brokovich's book "Superman's Not Coming" when it came out and it is still on my TBR pile.
Like you, I take heart from the actions and values of people, no matter what results they themselves saw -- in my case, my maternal grandmother, who barely saw the end of the Soviet Union and never hoped for a better life or country, but stayed true to her values and morals anyway. Maybe we start with being the kind of ancestor we admire, or wish we had, and go from there.
Then, added to what you've pointed out, there's the immense benefits of hope -- all it can do for us. (Hey, I'm working on an essay featuring Red Admirals and the assassination of Alexander II, among other things.)
Well, that sounds fascinating!
We have been going to a beach house in Madison, Connecticut for the last 20 years. There is a large outcrop of rocks, which contain tidal pools, where we start and end our days.
When the kids were very little, we would spend hours out there, traveling from one tiny ecosystem to the next, noting similarities and differences in life among the pools.
Somebody – probably one of the children - eventually named this past-time "Crab TV."
All these years later, we still go to the rocks and gaze at the teeming cast of characters, giving names and ascribing plot lines to the hermit crabs & other aquatic critters.
Crab TV remains one of my favorite ways to get into flow-- not because I'm doing or accomplishing anything per se, but just being completely tuned in and mesmerized by the tiny wonder of it all.
My grandparents lived in Madison and I would visit them every summer. They had a membership to a beach club and I took remember the tidal pools!
I love that kind of attention to one thing in nature -- or one small place like a tidal pool. We all need more time like that!
Nice essay. I'm a big fan of Rachel Carson's writing. Here's another favorite quote of hers from her THE SENSE OF WONDER book, that I included in my WILD AND WONDROUS book: "Drink in the beauty and think and wonder at the meaning of what you see."
We're so fortunate to have that wonder so close in nature.
Hi Bryan - You ask if we have listened. Some. Maybe. But not deeply enough judging by the state of this planet on which we depend. I seem to find myself fighting the same battles against pesticides and for open space that i have fought since the 70s, albeit with arguments amplified by this moment in .
Saturday I took the T to Revere Beach - I love going to the far corner of the beach to watch sea birds and shore birds feast on the gifts of the receding tide. As I was walking toward that far reach I had my eye on a floating patch of seaweed, or so I thought. As I neared the "seaweed", it revealed itself to be a raft of multiple families of Common eider, soon to be joined by 2 males. Must have been about 20 black fuzz-balls bobbing along.
And so goes the rollercoaster of grief and wonder...
Thank you for your writings.
Health
zara
This so captures the challenge: to reconcile the struggle to see and create good things in the world, how hard that can be when we're faced with injustice, with the beauty of nature right there in front of it all, in front of us. Thanks, Zara. A rollercoaster indeed. (And those male eiders are about to blow town to who knows where -- like most ducks, they're "deadbeat dads!")
Thank you for reminding me of her impact.
I usually gear a bit teary-eyed when I think of her.
Rachel Carson wrote a pamphlet titled "Food from the Sea" for the US Dept of the Interior in 1943. She discusses the alewife migration and how pollution and carelessness had impacted the fish. "Edge of the Sea" (my favorite book) shows how her thinking on the web of life and its spiritual essence continued to evolve. I often go to that same pool...
Those pools are hallowed grounds. Thanks, Amy!
What a beautiful, poignant and timely commentary. Thank you! My brother created a lovely sculpture of Rachel Carson which you can see here: http://douglasalvordart.com/
Although I've not seen it in person, I know that sculpture! Thanks, Cynthia -- and what a legacy Douglas left to all of us. I'm grateful for him and his work.
Thank you Brian. Doug was totally enamored with Rachel Carson and her work. If only someone could write something today, as potent and effective as she did!
Even though I wasn’t born until the 70s I long for the time of Rachel Carson, when a person with real expertise and passion to match could make a difference. The world has changed in terms of the impact of passionate experts but unfortunately it has not changed with respect to the long-term and often permanent effects of exposure to toxins, particularly for the young. Thank-you so much for a great article about an amazing woman.
I so miss that time as well. Not that it was perfect back then -- far from it. But I believe, like Dr. King, that the arc still does bend gradually toward justice. Sometimes it's so hard to see, however, and sometimes we go backwards. And when I'm bummed about that, I think of Rachel Carson — her strength, her science, her sense of wonder. It keeps me going. Thanks, Tara!
My grandchildren seem aware. Her book was published as I graduated from High School. I read it immediately. It became part of my life's work and my conversations with family and friends. Hope remains even in the quiet spring.
Thanks, Sue. You know ... the idea that Rachel Carson did so much for nature is almost a cliché these days. But, as you know, her impact cannot be overstated. And it's essential that we continue to honor her — a brave, brilliant, caring and amazing human being.
I read Silent Spring in 1964 and wrote a high school theme paper (remember those?) about it and Rachel Carson. Such an amazing woman with incredible strength to deal with what she was faced with in the industrial scientific community, while quietly trying to outlive her cancer. We have strong women scientists and environmentalists today: Sandra Steingraber, Maude Barlow, Elizabeth Kolbert, but they and others are drowned out by the garbage that passes for news and politics now.
Thanks, Cherie. I wonder if you still have that high school paper! :-)
And let's add Robin Wall Kimmerer to the list?
Oh, Bryan, I'm afraid that the theme paper has disappeared at some point in the past 60 years, tho I have a vague memory of running across it 25-30 years ago in the farmhouse I grew up in.
Robin Wall Kimmerer would certainly be on the list. Another harbinger of truth is James Hansen, who has certainly had his share of slings and arrows. Unfortunately, the power of the fossil fuel industry is enormous. They know who to buy and how much it takes.
Thank you for sharing Rachel Carson on her birthday. That one person can make a difference is a reminder that can never be made too often. 🌱
Thanks, Holly. And maybe we need to redefine making a difference in this era? Maybe it also happens among the individuals we meet on the road .. and the ways we might ease the pain together. Sending you healing vibes.
Awww, thank you, Bryan. This response means a lot. :)
“If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.”
--Rachel Carson
Thank you, Bryan.
Among my most favorite quotes ever!
I've been enamored by the shoreline, feeling at home and peace there, since my childhood in Rhode Island. The muchness of it all. Perhaps there is an intrinsic difference between people that grow up by the seacoast as opposed to those on the plains; something to think about.
My prayer is that we are indeed inexorably marching toward balance, and that we get there before the constant impediments cause it to be too late.
You always write so beautifully Bryan, thank you.
Thanks so much, RIchard. Yeah, I grew up on the Great Lakes. Haven't lived there for nearly 40 years. But those waters and their shorelines are still very much wired into me. I feel it every time I visit.