Man’s attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself?

Much of Carson’s work was a mix of undeniable scientific evidence and sentimental poetic prose. Her work, considerably among the best works and classics of the twentieth century, could have changed attitudes of her readers to be more pro-environmental. The outcomes of her behavior, especially as a writer, has become a legacy that resounded nationwide through public attitudes towards environmental issues and government policy. As a person, she certainly exercised her attitudes into action by speaking up about environmental issues. Though we can’t expect ourselves to impact the world like she did, are there any lessons we can draw from her life to inspire ourselves and others and to continue the work she has left behind?

Changing Attitudes

Besides environmental policy, among the greatest impacts of Silent Spring was changing public opinion and attitudes towards environmental issues. The foremost way to continue Carson’s legacy is to be transformed ourselves in our attitudes towards the environment and learn to appreciate the environment more, even to the extent to see the world as she did. Perhaps then, filled with more passion for the environment would we feel more motivation to be more pro-environmental and inspire others to do the same.

Development and Education

As a child, Carson was exposed to wildlife and the natural environment, together with her mother who loved nature. She developed a love for animals and the natural environment, and to some extent a disdain for industry and how it adversely affected the natural environment which she so loved. Perhaps in the future when we raise our young children, as parents we may accompany them to explore wildlife and introduce them to the natural world and let them develop the same love for nature as Carson did. We can also introduce them literature that personify animals and let them develop the same sympathy for animals like young Carson as it is easier for children to feel for the animals when they are anthropomorphized.

Attitudes in Action: Pro-Environmental Behavior

How was Carson able to exercise her attitudes and passion towards the environment into her behavior? She made her love for nature her life’s work. She was courageous and made many choices amid life’s challenges to follow her passion. After studying her life, I realized that we cannot all be Rachel Carson – she and her work was birthed from a mix of her circumstances and who she was destined to be at the outset. Not everyone is destined to make the natural world their passion and their life career. However, what we can do is to learn from the lessons she was trying to teach us, to stop and think about our impact on the environment as we rush towards efficiency and progress.

Mankind’s race towards efficiency and never-ending progress has frightening parallels to our own, personal lives. We think only of our own goals and convenience, not stopping to think how some of our actions could have some impact on the environment as we have been informed. Perhaps when inspiring others into pro-environmental behavior, change comes from within – to make that small step towards being more pro-environmental, something as accessible to us as reducing the amount of paper we use, to “save the trees” – to inspire others to do the same.