April 22 has been celebrated as Earth Day since 1970. Women have played key roles in the environmental movement both before and after the first Earth Day. One of the people credited for the modern environmental movement and the inspiration for Earth day is Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring which was first published in sections in The New Yorker.
In his book, Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawken reproduces a letter printed in that magazine in response to the first publication of Rachel Carson's warning about the effect of DDT on animals, plants, and humans:
Miss Rachel Carson's reference to the selfishness of insecticide manufacturers probably reflects her Communist sympathies, like a lot of our writers these days. We can live without birds and animals, but, as the current market slump shows, we cannot live without business. As for insects, isn't it just like a woman to be scared to death of a few little bugs! As long as we have the H-bomb everything will be O.K. P.S. She's probably a peace-nut too.
More about Rachel Carson:
More women environmentalists:
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