In today's society, people are very conscious of the environment. For example, if a person were to go to a local grocery store, they are likely to find something labeled “eco-friendly” or “pesticide-free” as a form of advertising. In less than one hundred years, our generation has made great ecological progress. However, the question is: what is the reason for such changes? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Voices like environmentalist Rachel Carson are the reason the changes have inspired. In his book titled Silent Spring, he begins the first chapter with a fictional story that parallels the real problems our ecosystems may face if humanity continues to challenge its delicate balance. The story paints a picture of a natural and melodious American town slowly falling apart due to the harmful effects of man-made chemicals. Humans and animals fall ill as the city is covered in a white blanket of chemical residue. Carson continues the book by moving from fiction to nonfiction, detailing concerns related to the use of different types of pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). DDT is a pesticide that has been around since the 1800s and was originally used for agriculture. In the 1940s, DDT was created to kill lice that infested soldiers with typhus, as well as minimize the spread of malaria caused by mosquitoes. Carson recognized that this biochemical could not be as safe as propaganda portrayed it. How can a chemical be so harmless to humans if it remains absorbed and stored within the human body? Carson then goes on to explain that these chlorinated hydrocarbons remain stagnant in the soil where they can be transferred up the food chain. He also claims that the American government is completely underestimating its effects, overexposing the public in the process. However, the public in the mid-20th century had no objections to pesticides. Due to the positive publicity, communities were naive to any negative feedback. Newspapers rarely published events where pesticides “went wrong,” and if anything was published it was dismissed as a “minor incident.” Carson went on to describe some of these incidents. In one case, the city of Detroit had used a type of pesticide called Aldrin to rid the area of ​​Japanese beetles. Aldrin spilled some of the drinking water and killed the birds that drank from it. Another incident occurred at Michigan State University. In an effort to prevent their trees from dying of Dutch elm disease, they were sprayed with pesticides. Earthworms were exposed which resulted in mass poisoning of robins. Carson continues to explain that she is not opposed to the idea of ​​pest regulation but encourages some type of parameter. He believes there are alternatives to pest control that are not only safer but routine. Controls such as sterilization, predators, pheromones and more could be used to prevent insects while maintaining their populations. Population is a large determining factor on the benefits of the more natural alternative due to the fact that insects sometimes develop resistance to insecticides, which could lead to a huge abundance of pests. When the author's book was first published, she faced strong opposition. Opponents of his thinking claimed that his statements were false and his statement.