Why the day on Earth matters – public radio Boise State

Scott Detro, host:

Okay. So it’s hard to deny that Earth’s day is some fun and stupid holiday, but NPR’s Avery Keatley offers a perspective on why the holiday is unique and important to American culture.

Avery Keatley, Byline: It is possible because I am from Pennsylvania, but the day on Earth always felt like a big deal.

(Soundbite from cartoon TV short, “one meat wedding”)

Stan Freberg: (Like Grover Earth, Sing) A Breshog and his shade are a very famous couple.

Keatley: I remember the crafts and projects of elementary schools leading to Earth Day and studying the tradition of folklore on Earth that sees his shadow.

(Soundbite on an archived record)

Unidentified storyteller # 1: The legend decides that if the sun shines when it comes out of its hole and it could see its shadow, The Groundhog would be scared and crawl back into its hole for six weeks more winter hibernation.

Keatley: Although I grew far from Punxsutawney, the culture of The Groundhog Day was strong and fun. I remember the tension and excitement from Punxsutawney Phil’s forecasts and I was disappointed if they didn’t come true.

(Soundbite on an archived record)

Unidentified Novinar: Statistical Phil is only about 40% of the time.

Keatley: As a child, of course, I usually hoped for more winter and a chance for more snowy days. But as I was old, there was a slightest accent on Earth Day, less excitement and much less places to talk about rotating the seasons, even when we heard more and more that the environment was changing.

(Soundbite of Montage)

Unidentified Reporter # 1: Climate change has increased hot and dry conditions …

Unidentified Reporter # 2: And almost everywhere on Earth, people experience 41 extra days of dangerous heat.

Unidentified Reporter # 3: … Unjustified meteorological models.

Keatley: But at the same time, I paid more attention to the four seasons, becoming more interested in the relationships between nature, agriculture and our shared human history.

(Soundbite on an archived record)

Unidentified storyteller # 2: The sun follows a prescribed model around these stones.

Keatley: All over the world, some of our most ancient temples and monuments are directly bound by a turning point during the year, with a 5,000-year-old Stonehenge, which is aligned with the summer and winter sunscreens. But in the modern world, our relationship with the reverse of the seasons breaks down and our holidays often focus more on the world we have created than the world of nature.

(Soundbite of Montage)

Unidentified Person # 1: Weekly Black Friday deals that you cannot miss.

Unidentified Person # 2: And you do not have to wait until the day of memory.

Unidentified Person #3: Throughout December, enter and enjoy everything from 35 to 50% discount.

Keatley: In America, most of our holidays are tied to our national myth creation. We are celebrating rising figures such as George Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr., we note our independence from foreign power and the emancipation of enslaved people. But none of our holidays specifically notes the change of seasons, except for a day on Earth.

(Soundbite of Music)

Keatley: Approximately half the way between winter solstice and spring equinox, Earth’s day is a time of transition when we can see visible signs of Earth’s change. The sky remains slower in the evening and rises earlier in the morning. The migratory birds travel north, and the morning crackle with their songs.

(Soundbite of birds that fuck)

Keatley: Earth Day may not be the most collective holiday we celebrate in America, but it plays a role that none of our other holidays plays. It reminds us that we are bound by the land, seasons and beings who live here with us. At a time when the Earth changes and our seasons with it, the day on Earth offers us a chance to participate in one of the oldest human traditions, hoping for more light days ahead. Avery Keatley, NPR News.

(Soundbite of Music) A copy provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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