Women and the Environment: From Silent Spring to Student Activism
Photo credit: www.hilobrow.com
Women’s History Month is winding down and springtime is already upon us. This year’s WHM theme is “Women in STEM”, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t spotlight another field that women have long championed—the environment.
Rachel Carson’s seminal 1962 book “Silent Spring” is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. It investigates the use of chemical pesticides (particularly DDT) and their effect on animals, humans, and ecology, and led to legislation regulating the use of pesticides and the eventual banning of DDT altogether. Reactions to the book were mixed: the chemical industry worked to discredit Carson’s research, branding her a hysteric and possibly a Communist, while others continue to champion Carson as a forerunner to contemporary whistle-blowers like Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Al Gore. 2012 marked the 50-year anniversary of the book’s publication, and many articles were published discussing Carson’s legacy. The Guardian recaps and summarizes these reactions in an article called “What is the Legacy of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring?”
Photo credit: www.ciks.org
Millennials and the Environment
Rachel Carson’s work continues to inform the way people think about ecology and the environment. Millennials, a generation that grew up with superstorms, hybrid cars, and shrinking ice caps, are among the most vocal supporters of climate reform. Here's a few of the more visible actions:
-Many college students are protesting their administrations, demanding that they divest from fossil fuel. As of February 2013, 256 campuses are embroiled in active divestment fights, and 3 colleges have already relented.
-In England, the news that climate change would be cut from the national curriculum for students under age 14 sparked alarm and debate. Supporters of this move say that individual teachers can still teach climate change, while scientists and critics argue that the issue is far too important to be ignored. A 15 year old girl named Esha Marwaha started a petition to keep climate change in the curriculum, and it has already garnered over 12,000 signatures.
-Students for a Just and Stable Future is a New England-based volunteer network dedicated to renewable energy and smart infrastructure. Recent projects include a fossil fuel and climate change-themed art show and rallies and lobbying trips in response to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Environmental justice, sustainability, going green—these are more than twenty-first century buzzwords. They’re the ideologies and practices that need to be turned into law if our planet is to survive. Working for a more sustainable future benefits women, developing nations, young people, and the next generation of policy makers and change agents. Each day we don’t act is a day that raises the stakes, perhaps irreparably.
Women: The Unsung Heroes of the Environment
Youth Voters and Environmental Activism
The Case for Fossil Fuel Divestment
Students for a Just and Stable Future
Esha Marwaha’s blog in The Guardian
- Selina Lee, Community Ambassador, The Andrew Goodman Foundation.
