The first of four events organized by the Rachel Carson Homestead Association during the Centennial of Allegheny native Rachel Carson’s birth is the Rachel Carson Legacy Celebration.

The April 20 event will be hosted by Teresa Heinz with special guests, the Indigo Girls. The evening event, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Senator John Heinz History Center, will introduce the Rachel Carson Legacy Challenge: green steps to a sustainable future.

Created by the RCHA, this initiative challenges industry, government, institutions and individuals to commit to permanent and measurable change in line with Carson’s environmental ethic: live in harmony with nature; preserve and learn from natural places; minimize the impact of man-made chemicals on natural systems of the world; and consider the implications of human actions on the global web of life.

“Rachel Carson moved the environment community from passive observers of nature to passionate activists on its behalf. She made the connection between people and their effect on the health of the environment we are part of,” said Patricia M. DeMarco, Ph.D., RCHA Executive Director. “The Rachel Carson Legacy Challenge: green steps to a sustainable future asks everyone to take action now toward a more sustainable world.”

Commitments to the Rachel Carson Legacy Challenge are rooted in environmental sustainability. Examples include conserving energy resources, using organic products, avoiding use of dangerous chemicals, and reducing fossil fuel consumption.

The first round of commitments to the Rachel Carson Homestead initiative will be recognized at the April 20 celebration and include Alcoa Tech Center, Allegheny County, Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Science Center, Chatham College, City of Pittsburgh, Highmark, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 95, Parkhurst Dining Services, Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh 250/Allegheny Conference, Pittsburgh Public Schools, PPG Industries, Sustainable Pittsburgh, UPMC, United Steelworkers

The Rachel Carson Legacy Celebration will include a special announcement by Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty, Department of Environmental Protection, as well as readings from all five of Rachel Carson’s books.

Tickets for the event are $50 per person (hors d’oeuvres and cash bar) and can be obtained through the Rachel Carson Homestead website .

In addition, the Rachel Carson Legacy Challenge: green steps to a sustainable future is detailed on the website; links to resources for information on reducing one’s ecological footprint are available; and individuals can make their own commitments online.

The evening event will follow the 11th annual Women’s Health & Environment conference “New Science, New Solutions,” which will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center – sponsored by The Heinz Endowments and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.

The RCHA is organizing four events throughout 2007 that will highlight the environmental legacy of Rachel Carson - Allegheny County native, scientist and author – as well as southwestern Pennsylvania’s growing leadership in environmental and conservation initiatives.

Carson was born and spent almost half her life in Springdale, Pa. where she developed her love for nature. She wrote several books including Silent Spring, in which she warned about the dangers to the environment and human health through the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides, and a trilogy of books on the ocean, illustrating Carson’s enduring love of the sea and desire for mankind’s deeper understanding of and conservation for all the planet’s natural resources.

The three additional events organized by the RCHA are:

· May 27 – Springdale. A birthday block-party at the Rachel Carson Homestead, her birthplace and home for 22 years where she first developed her love for nature, in Springdale, PA. Honored guests, entertainment, conservation groups and eco-friendly vendors, and Rachel’s Sustainable Feast: leading Pittsburgh chefs showcasing locally grown produce from farms practicing sustainable agriculture.

· September 29 – Pittsburgh First of annual Rachel Carson Legacy Conferences: “Sustaining the Web of Life in Modern Society” at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA: Keynote is Professor E. O. Wilson. Sessions include: Global Warming; Perspectives on Health of Our Oceans; Environmental Leadership & Changing the Way We Live.

· November 3 – Pittsburgh Spirit & Nature Conference. Multi-faith gathering to discuss the reverence for nature contained in all religions and spiritual movements and how followers of faith can reconnect to that theme and renew the sense of earth stewardship through sustainable purchasing and living plans, conservation efforts and green building in places of worship, religious communities and in our daily lives.

Born and raised in Springdale, Pa., Carson was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people of the 20th century and recently voted by the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency as number one out of the top 100 people in all time who had done the most to save the planet.

The Rachel Carson Homestead Association was formed in 1975 to preserve and restore this National Register historic site and to offer education programs and resources that advance Rachel Carson's environmental ethic. The Rachel Carson Homestead is the only site in the world that is dedicated to interpreting Rachel Carson's entire legacy to the public.

For more information, visit the Rachel Carson Homestead website.

4/6/2007