Interview Transcript:
Neha: What was the experience like at the First Earth Day?
Fairbanks: Well, when I think back about it, it was just kind of exciting to be able to honor, you know, the animals and the Earth and take care of it all. It was kind of the big thing in the 70's. You know to love mother Earth, and it was just a thing that the kids were really into, as much as the adults. So it was just neat that younger people and older people all agreed that this was a really good thing, we should take care of the Earth.
Neha: So you were in seventh grade?
Fairbanks: Yes I was, aha, aha.
Neha: So what did you do back then, like in the class, like do you remember?
Neha: What was the experience like at the First Earth Day?
Fairbanks: Well, when I think back about it, it was just kind of exciting to be able to honor, you know, the animals and the Earth and take care of it all. It was kind of the big thing in the 70's. You know to love mother Earth, and it was just a thing that the kids were really into, as much as the adults. So it was just neat that younger people and older people all agreed that this was a really good thing, we should take care of the Earth.
Neha: So you were in seventh grade?
Fairbanks: Yes I was, aha, aha.
Neha: So what did you do back then, like in the class, like do you remember?
Fairbanks:Oh my god, I don't have a specific in mind, but we did projects where in like in science we got to do a lot more things, you know, where you learn about the impact of cities, you know on the environments,on streams and on lakes and, um, you know just how important it was. Like recycling. Recycling was such a big thing. It was like such a cool idea that it surprises me that today there are still people who don't recycle. Oh, we recycled everything. It was like, that was a really big thing. It was going to be better for the.. You know the landfills wouldn't get filled up, and, you know stuff like that. What was the question I have already forgot,what did you do? Um, I am sure that we had like a big pep-fest at school or you know, just something where you.. like we just stopped and noticed the day, like you will stop and notice Martin Luther King day or like... we really acknowledged it and there were all school activities for it. And.. it was a long time ago,oh my gosh. Ok.
Neha: So then what were the reasons that you participated, where you like..?
Neha: So then what were the reasons that you participated, where you like..?
Fairbanks:Oh, well I tell you what , I was really... I was really lucky to grow up on the Saint Croix River and I grew up with a family that was very environmentally conscious, even when it was not a cool thing to do, and, so um, we were really about protecting the eagles, and ah, the geese, and the swan, and the deer, and, you know every thing, so people weren't very much about that then, you know they had the biggest gas guzzler cars they could, and they did not care that... they just weren't very thoughtful, you know they thought, we will never run out, but there was a lot of talk with groups like the Sierra club, and like 'no this is not going to last forever', and we needed to take on, you know, more of like the Native American consciousness, that it is all a gift, and it is ours to take care of and manage it, and stuff like that.
Neha: What were some of the changes that you saw after the First Earth Day, after April 22nd.
Neha: What were some of the changes that you saw after the First Earth Day, after April 22nd.
Fairbanks: I don't know if it was exactly after that, but I do know, like you started to see, like little things like, the recycling thing was something that you could see everywhere. Like you could go to a gas station and there would be a place for glass and paper and aluminium cans. I don't know that in each house you had individual containers for it, but you were encouraged to separate it all and there were places where you could bring it. It was more like you took it upon yourself to find a recycling place. Uhh, smaller cars. Oh my goodness. I am not sure how this coincides, but there was a time we ran out of gas. There was gas rationing in the 70's. Like, you know there would be people lined up for miles to get gas,so they realized that gas could run out. So people started making smaller and smaller and smaller cars, that were forgotten about I think in the 90's and 2000. They started making them big again but we really were very conscientious about gas use and then a lot of protections went out for like water, for like lakes and rivers, to protect them. People used to just dump everything in the water and people really started being aware of it. And it was a cool thing, if you saw someone doing something not right, to say "Hey, you know, this is all of ours, you need to..'. People used to take their ashtrays and dump them on the side of the road. Like, oh, that was another big thing, littering used to be. I mean you wouldn't believe, how littering used to be. You know every once in a while you see somebody throw something out of the window now, people used to just throw it out there and I don't know who they thought was going to clean it up. But that became a really big deal, about not only is it ugly and not healthy, but you know, squirrels and little animals, eat..and get plastic.. You know just like plastic now in the oceans is a problem, you know, porpoises and seals and seagulls and, you know people just started to really have a consciousness of that, that it's not for us to use, its we get to use it with all the other living things then.
Neha: Oh, So then, what impacts did the First Earth Day have on you? Like, in general.
Fairbanks: Well, I guess just that, I guess I just thought it any way, but, you know, like in my little home town I would get, okay we share, we share the lake, but I realized no, all the people in Wisconsin and then in the united states, we all share the rivers that run threw are lake and that all runs down to the ocean, and we all share that. Like it was not just a regional responsibility for caring for the Earth like it was, like it connected us all, like it mattered to us if something terrible was going on. I don't know if you have heard about Chernobyl, the idea of nuclear reactors. We all got nervous. That was another thing that came about, um that nuclear reactors weren't really safe, and so we didn't want you to build one in Russia, if it was going to have a melt down and make everything radioactive. Because that would affect us, you know, instead of just going, 'well that's going on over there,we don't care'. You know, you stated to become globally aware of the good things and then really... I mean that's probably another thing, a lot of animal organisations, the World Wild Life Federation, all sorts of things that were protecting animals that were on the brink of extinction, oh that's it, there were just a lot of things that were about to go extinct and then the impact is, I still always keep a conscious eye on it, you know, all those things.
Fairbanks: Well, I guess just that, I guess I just thought it any way, but, you know, like in my little home town I would get, okay we share, we share the lake, but I realized no, all the people in Wisconsin and then in the united states, we all share the rivers that run threw are lake and that all runs down to the ocean, and we all share that. Like it was not just a regional responsibility for caring for the Earth like it was, like it connected us all, like it mattered to us if something terrible was going on. I don't know if you have heard about Chernobyl, the idea of nuclear reactors. We all got nervous. That was another thing that came about, um that nuclear reactors weren't really safe, and so we didn't want you to build one in Russia, if it was going to have a melt down and make everything radioactive. Because that would affect us, you know, instead of just going, 'well that's going on over there,we don't care'. You know, you stated to become globally aware of the good things and then really... I mean that's probably another thing, a lot of animal organisations, the World Wild Life Federation, all sorts of things that were protecting animals that were on the brink of extinction, oh that's it, there were just a lot of things that were about to go extinct and then the impact is, I still always keep a conscious eye on it, you know, all those things.
Neha: How would you say the First Earth Day affected your career choice in the future, like how did you choose to become a teacher of music.
Fairbanks: Well I'm not sure that Earth Day affected my becoming a music teacher, but in a way I guess because it's about your passions, about going for what you love, like if can go and do what you love every day then you never go to work. You know what I mean. And then I really liked kids and I liked that you can have an impact, on like you, then you'll grow up to be a human who maybe is conscientious in a way that you wouldn't be, and if music is how I get to know you, then we get to know the world together, you know what I mean.
Fairbanks: Well I'm not sure that Earth Day affected my becoming a music teacher, but in a way I guess because it's about your passions, about going for what you love, like if can go and do what you love every day then you never go to work. You know what I mean. And then I really liked kids and I liked that you can have an impact, on like you, then you'll grow up to be a human who maybe is conscientious in a way that you wouldn't be, and if music is how I get to know you, then we get to know the world together, you know what I mean.
Neha: Right after the First Earth Day did you notice a huge change or did it take a few years for every thing to change?
Fairbanks: I think it was cooler and groovier, in the words of the day. In the beginning it was like okay, 'Woo Earth Day, Woo it's a big new idea,' what ever. Okay, so I think the first few got a lot of attention, but then like all things you know, something new comes, you know, and it attracts peoples attention. I think, I think now we have some problems that if we really would remember Earth Day, like I..You know, we would not have all the big cars we have. Again we would not be, you know so much population, so much city... Here's an idea, when I was your age the city stopped at Saint Paul, and there was not any thing between Saint Paul, and Hudson, Wisconsin. And my dad would always say, ' you just wait, one day it's going to go all the way from Saint Paul right to the Saint Croix River', and I would say ' oh, not in a million years'. Boom, here's Woodbury'. I think it's always been on the back burner but it's great if you guys could be re-visiting it, because it is even more of an issue now because there's more of us sharing the planet. You know there were fewer of us, and was that 40 years ago! Was that 40 years ago?
Fairbanks: I think it was cooler and groovier, in the words of the day. In the beginning it was like okay, 'Woo Earth Day, Woo it's a big new idea,' what ever. Okay, so I think the first few got a lot of attention, but then like all things you know, something new comes, you know, and it attracts peoples attention. I think, I think now we have some problems that if we really would remember Earth Day, like I..You know, we would not have all the big cars we have. Again we would not be, you know so much population, so much city... Here's an idea, when I was your age the city stopped at Saint Paul, and there was not any thing between Saint Paul, and Hudson, Wisconsin. And my dad would always say, ' you just wait, one day it's going to go all the way from Saint Paul right to the Saint Croix River', and I would say ' oh, not in a million years'. Boom, here's Woodbury'. I think it's always been on the back burner but it's great if you guys could be re-visiting it, because it is even more of an issue now because there's more of us sharing the planet. You know there were fewer of us, and was that 40 years ago! Was that 40 years ago?
Neha: Yeah, like 44 now.
Fairbanks: Yeah so do you know what the population of the planet is?
Neha: I don't right now.
Fairbanks: I'm sure it has doubled since then.
Neha: Yeah.
Fairbanks: It's kind of a scary thing, so you could get away with less people being conscientious about it then. Now it has to be on everybody's front line, you know, so.
Neha: Do you think that comparing the time right after the First Earth Day and now, the environmental consciousness has decreased or increased.
Fairbanks: Boy that's a hard one. As an adult, I see it as decreasing, because no one called me up and said, " Hi Happy Earth Day, What are you doing?" But maybe in schools, maybe the youth of America is being more conscientious of it. Yeah, I don't think it probably didn't get too much press. I bet it wasn't even on the news now.
Neha: When you were a student, did they have Earth Day celebrations every year?
Fairbanks: Let me see. So seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. So for the first ten years, I am sure, it was a big deal and lot of attention was paid to it. But then I went off to be a teacher and I got lost in my own world.
Neha: What was the most memorable thing from that year? Something that you will never forget.
Fairbanks: Wow, I don't know if I have a specific.... I don't know. You know you are kind of unconscious, unless people bring stuff to your attention. And they just really I remember at your age, brought to our attention how much garbage, like how many plastic bottles we used in a year. You know like one person made garbage as big as a ten story building. You know, that if you weren't thinking about it and you didn't recycle and you didn't like, used to brush your teeth and let the water run, without thinking about it, and there are people on the other side of the world who spent the whole day walking, just to get one bucket of water home to their family. I think that's what I remember the most. Like, really, the whole world doesn't have it like us. Because we are wonderfully blessed. In a kids world just realizing how it was. You know even food wise, maybe the whole family has just one cup of rice for the whole family for the whole day or even for the whole week. You can't even imagine that at your age, can you? But that's how it is, and it still is that way. So obviously we aren't sharing all our resources. We have more than we used to have, but I think that's the biggest thing. It's just eye opening that the whole world isn't like this and it's our responsibility to help bring up the other side and save what we have, so we can share. Oh, you know what, that is something I remember. We have, is it 5 percent of the population in the United States, and we use up 75 percent of the resources, I think. Some crazy number like that. Honestly, I don't exactly remember, but I remember, going 'what'. You know, like that's such a tiny portion of the planet that uses so much of the resources, I just remember that was a shocking thing to me.
Neha: And, then this is a little bit of a random question, but remember from my research that many people wore gas masks to protest against the air pollution. Did that actually happen?
Fairbanks: Oh yeah, because in places like LA, you know like on a really hot summer day, if we get a really cloud cover. Okay it's all starting to come back to me now, so people used to smoke anywhere and everywhere. So if you were at this school, they would be smoking in the hallways, because teachers could smoke, adults could smoke, the air was, I mean we didn't even know that it was dirty, because that's just how it was. But we were in a big city, and the cars used to have just terrible exhaust. It comes out clean now, by contrast and trucks had black smoke come out of them, you know, everything burned coal, a lot of things now use nuclear power, or other kinds of power that are cleaner, but I mean, so on a hot dense day, especially in the coastal areas like in New York City, where there are millions and millions of people, it was hideous! I mean, yeah, I kind of forgot about that. Cause they have done so, that is, you know, in that way the impact is there like no smoking everywhere.
Neha: So they wore gas masks, like to say 'No Smoking'?
Fairbanks: Yeah, because they wondered what was going to happen, because, you know, like in what phase is it going to start killing people. In essence, I guess it was killing people. You know that cigarette smoke is bad for you. Okay, when I grew up Santa Claus used to advertise, 'There's nothing better you can give to the ones you love than Lucky Strike'. People just didn't know that it was bad for you. But it was terrible for the whole world. Just a lot, just a lot of things like you say, that I take for granted, were planted during that time. Yeah, Clean air, Clean water, recycling, sharing resources.
Neha: Thanks.
Fairbanks: Oh my God! Shorten that down. But good luck!
Neha: Thank you!
Fairbanks: You are very, very welcome Neha!
Fairbanks: Yeah so do you know what the population of the planet is?
Neha: I don't right now.
Fairbanks: I'm sure it has doubled since then.
Neha: Yeah.
Fairbanks: It's kind of a scary thing, so you could get away with less people being conscientious about it then. Now it has to be on everybody's front line, you know, so.
Neha: Do you think that comparing the time right after the First Earth Day and now, the environmental consciousness has decreased or increased.
Fairbanks: Boy that's a hard one. As an adult, I see it as decreasing, because no one called me up and said, " Hi Happy Earth Day, What are you doing?" But maybe in schools, maybe the youth of America is being more conscientious of it. Yeah, I don't think it probably didn't get too much press. I bet it wasn't even on the news now.
Neha: When you were a student, did they have Earth Day celebrations every year?
Fairbanks: Let me see. So seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. So for the first ten years, I am sure, it was a big deal and lot of attention was paid to it. But then I went off to be a teacher and I got lost in my own world.
Neha: What was the most memorable thing from that year? Something that you will never forget.
Fairbanks: Wow, I don't know if I have a specific.... I don't know. You know you are kind of unconscious, unless people bring stuff to your attention. And they just really I remember at your age, brought to our attention how much garbage, like how many plastic bottles we used in a year. You know like one person made garbage as big as a ten story building. You know, that if you weren't thinking about it and you didn't recycle and you didn't like, used to brush your teeth and let the water run, without thinking about it, and there are people on the other side of the world who spent the whole day walking, just to get one bucket of water home to their family. I think that's what I remember the most. Like, really, the whole world doesn't have it like us. Because we are wonderfully blessed. In a kids world just realizing how it was. You know even food wise, maybe the whole family has just one cup of rice for the whole family for the whole day or even for the whole week. You can't even imagine that at your age, can you? But that's how it is, and it still is that way. So obviously we aren't sharing all our resources. We have more than we used to have, but I think that's the biggest thing. It's just eye opening that the whole world isn't like this and it's our responsibility to help bring up the other side and save what we have, so we can share. Oh, you know what, that is something I remember. We have, is it 5 percent of the population in the United States, and we use up 75 percent of the resources, I think. Some crazy number like that. Honestly, I don't exactly remember, but I remember, going 'what'. You know, like that's such a tiny portion of the planet that uses so much of the resources, I just remember that was a shocking thing to me.
Neha: And, then this is a little bit of a random question, but remember from my research that many people wore gas masks to protest against the air pollution. Did that actually happen?
Fairbanks: Oh yeah, because in places like LA, you know like on a really hot summer day, if we get a really cloud cover. Okay it's all starting to come back to me now, so people used to smoke anywhere and everywhere. So if you were at this school, they would be smoking in the hallways, because teachers could smoke, adults could smoke, the air was, I mean we didn't even know that it was dirty, because that's just how it was. But we were in a big city, and the cars used to have just terrible exhaust. It comes out clean now, by contrast and trucks had black smoke come out of them, you know, everything burned coal, a lot of things now use nuclear power, or other kinds of power that are cleaner, but I mean, so on a hot dense day, especially in the coastal areas like in New York City, where there are millions and millions of people, it was hideous! I mean, yeah, I kind of forgot about that. Cause they have done so, that is, you know, in that way the impact is there like no smoking everywhere.
Neha: So they wore gas masks, like to say 'No Smoking'?
Fairbanks: Yeah, because they wondered what was going to happen, because, you know, like in what phase is it going to start killing people. In essence, I guess it was killing people. You know that cigarette smoke is bad for you. Okay, when I grew up Santa Claus used to advertise, 'There's nothing better you can give to the ones you love than Lucky Strike'. People just didn't know that it was bad for you. But it was terrible for the whole world. Just a lot, just a lot of things like you say, that I take for granted, were planted during that time. Yeah, Clean air, Clean water, recycling, sharing resources.
Neha: Thanks.
Fairbanks: Oh my God! Shorten that down. But good luck!
Neha: Thank you!
Fairbanks: You are very, very welcome Neha!