Social Progress Tied to Environmental Quality

John Muir sitting on boulder holding cane Many people today believe that the roots of the environmental movement were designed to benefit the rich and famous in our culture, a wealthy minority, who can afford to vacation in the wilderness. In fact, most environmental leaders have seen social justice and environmental equity as closely linked. Gifford Pinchot, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Muir all endeavored to keep nature and resources accessible to everyone at a time when public lands, forests, and waterways were increasingly controlled by a few wealthy individuals and private corporations. The idea of national parks, one of our principal strategies for nature conservation, is to provide public access to natural beauty and outdoor recreation. Aldo Leopold, a founder of the Wilderness Society, promoted ideas of land stewardship among farmers, fishers, and hunters. Robert Marshall, also a founder of the Wilderness Society, campaigned all his life for social and economic justice for low-income groups. Both Rachel Carson and Barry Commoner were principally interested in environmental health—an issue that is especially urgent for low-income, minority, and inner-city residents. Many of these individuals grew up in working-class families, so their sympathy with social causes is not surprising.

Farm animals with woman and vegetables singing DDT is good for me Rachel Carson was best known for writing the book, "Silent Spring" after she became concerned about the widespread use of synthetic pesticides such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Although touted as safe (see the propaganda to the left), DDT was found to be toxic to many animals and to remain in the environment for long periods of time. Because it remained in the environment, it easily moved up the food chain causing severe complications for birds of prey. DDT would cause the eggshells of these birds to be extremely thin, breaking when females sat on their eggs to incubate them. DDT was eventually banned in the United States in 1972.

Read the article "There's Poison All Around Us Now"

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Once you have learned about these people and movements, answer the following questions.

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