Rachel Carson Council's mission is devoted to fostering a sense of wonder and respect toward nature and to helping society realize Rachel Carson's vision of a healthy and diverse environment

 
 

The Council seeks to inform and advise the public about the effects of pesticides that threaten the health, welfare, and survival of living organisms and biological systems. The Council promotes alternative, environmentally benign pest management strategies to encourage healthier, sustainable living.

 

 

[Rachel Carson Council: An Association for the Integrity of the Environment]
Executive Director, Diana Post, VMD

Formerly the Rachel Carson Trust for the Living Environment, the Rachel Carson Council is a clearinghouse and library with information at both scientific and layperson levels on pesticide-related issues, which provides answers to the public, produces various publications clarifying pesticide dangers, brings alternative pest controls to the public's attention, and presents conferences and workshops for the public and the scientific community.

We have answered tough questions about pesticide effects and alternative pest-control methods since 1965.
       
Please remember that migrating birds need insects to eat to survive and raise their young

*The Reasons Why We Care

[infant in crib with stuffed toy rabbit]


What Rachel Carson noted 40 years ago in Silent Spring could have been written yesterday:
[smiling girl in front of shop window]"...we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. It is the public that is being asked to assume the risks that the insect controllers calculate. The public must decide whether it wishes to continue on the present road, and it can only do so when in full possession of the facts."

"The choice, after all, is ours to make. If, after having endured much, we have at last asserted our 'right to know,' and if, knowing, we have concluded that we are being asked to take senseless and frightening risks, then we should no longer accept the counsel of those who tell us that we must fill our world with poisonous chemicals; we should look about and see what other course is open to us." (Silent Spring, 1962)
[boy with turtle]At the moment the environment appears to be facing a more perilous future than at any time since our organization's founding.

The pesticide-use rate continues to rise not only in our own country but all over the world.

Human and animal health effects, including cancer, hormonal and reproductive disruption, decreased immune function, chemical sensitivity, and neurotoxicity have been associated with chemical pesticides.

Environmental integrity, already diminished by manmade chemicals, faces new challenges from reckless use of biotechnology. We urgently need to look for guidance before taking steps to re-engineer nature.
A smart alternative for weed control in lawns: A corn gluten pre-emergent herbicide like WOW (WithOut Weeds) controls many broadleaf weeds in lawns including dandelions, but is not harmful to humans, pets or wildlife and does not contaminate groundwater. It biodegrades into fertilizer for the lawn. Contact the Council for more information.

~~ Give the Gift of Life ~~

A bequest to Rachel Carson Council helps ensure your commitment to protect people's health and the diversity of wildlife for generations to come. All bequests to Rachel Carson Council are exempt from federal taxes and there is no limit on the size of the gift.

You may give cash, securities, real estate, works of art, jewelry or patent rights. You can even designate Rachel Carson Council as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy, the proceeds of which will be exempt from taxes on your estate more details...

Your gift will provide a healthier life for America and the world's rivers, streams, wetlands, wildlife, and people.

Contact Rachel Carson Council 

Since Silent Spring

[bee collecting pollen from cosmos flower]Rachel Carson, a scientist and gifted writer, enchanted the public with her first three books about the sea. Then in her last great work, Silent Spring, she sounded the alarm about the hazard of chemical pesticides. Its publication in 1962 generated a mountain of mail from an aroused public asking questions about pesticide effects. Although she was ill, and often overwhelmed, Rachel Carson faithfully answered letters until shortly before her death in 1964.

In response to her hope for an enduring means of meeting the public's needs, a year after her death an organization was formed by friends and colleagues to continue her efforts. The founders shared her concerns about pesticide problems. The organization was initially called the Rachel Carson Trust for the Living Environment. In 1980 it became the Rachel Carson Council, Inc. For more than 20 years, Shirley A. Briggs served as Executive Director. Dr. Diana Post, the current Executive Director, was appointed in 1992.

The Council has compiled data on health and environmental effects of pesticides and provided answers to the public for almost 40 years. Serving as a source of scientific information and advocating integrity of the environment, the Council is the oldest organization bearing Rachel Carson's name and maintaining her vision.

Rachel Carson Council provides the following services:

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to continue to educate the public about pesticides and alternatives
     

Programs and Council Activities
Rachel Carson Council, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) environmental organization founded in 1965 by friends and colleagues of Rachel Carson at her behest. The Council's main focus is collecting and disseminating information on chemical pesticides and alternative methods of pest control but we also maintain a library and a historical collection of materials about Rachel Carson.

Some of our current activities include:

  • developing the Green Mantle program
  • designing an outreach program on Wildlife at Work
  • updating the Basic Guide to Pesticides
  • researching scientific topics
  • preparing position papers
  • preparing consumer information brochures
  • expanding the information available on the RCC website
  • preparing testimony for regulatory issues
  • responding to individual inquiries from the public
  • responding to requests for information from libraries
  • cooperating with other organizations on issues such as the West Nile virus, and
  • working with local governments on integrated pest management in their communities
The Green Mantle is a program designed to provide guidance and incentives to encourage ecological living. It is intended to include people and institutions.

In Silent Spring Rachel Carson wrote, "Water, soil and the earth's green mantle of plants make up the world that supports the animal life of the earth." Green Mantle is a registered RCC trademark.

The Council sponsors a variety of Green Mantle workshops.
Upcoming workshops are listed in the RCC News and Upcoming Events section of this website.
Wildlife at Work is a concept in which we describe specific wildlife residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to illustrate how, as parts of the functioning ecosystem, they are at work providing the services on which we all depend.
Only your dollars support our work...

Rachel Carson Council receives no help from Rachel Carson's estate.
All gifts to Rachel Carson Council are 100% tax deductible.

Please join us in these vital projects and enable Rachel Carson's work to continue

Fostering Rachel Carson's vision for a healthy and diverse environment

Rachel Carson Council, Inc.

PO Box 10779, Silver Spring, Maryland 20914

e-mail: rccouncil@aol.com

Tel: (301) 593-7507

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