For years, the use of pesticides and insecticides went unregulated in the American farm industry. The focus was to produce the most crops possible on a given piece of land so that the most possible amount of people could be fed. The impacts on the environment were not considered until much later. Many environmentalists launched campaigns calling for the regulation and eventual banning of certain pesticides. In particular, the banning of a chemical called DDT was at the forefront of this fight. One person who was very passionate about this was Rachel Carson, she worked to get pesticides banned and her work “Silent Spring” was instrumental in the realization of the harmful effects of DDT.

~JV