Air Date: Week of April 26, 1996

We celebrate the fact that this is our 265th consecutive program on National Public Radio since we went on the air in April 1991. Founder, executive producer and host Steve Curwood reflects on some of the environmental changes over the past half decade in a brief essay, with appreciation for our listeners.

Transcript

CURWOOD: And finally for now, I'd like to mark an anniversary. Five years ago this month, Living on Earth began its weekly broadcasts. Now, we created this program for you, because we feel it is vital to report and discuss here on public radio the rapid pace of environmental change. Our job as journalists is to help you make informed decisions, and there are few choices more important than those matters affecting the presence and quality of life. Much has happened over these past 5 years. When we started, there were predictions that humans would change the global climate. Now science says global warming is indeed here.

In our early shows, the big health worry about toxic chemicals was cancer. Cancer is still with us, but we've reported more and more about how persistent toxics may present an even larger threat to our health with reproductive problems, immune disorders, and neurological impairment. Now there's been some good news, too. The world's nations have virtually halted the production of ozone-destroying CFCs. Businesses have begun to adopt an ecological ethic. And even more people have found the power of natural connections in their lives. So, it's time to thank you, our listeners, and everyone else who has made this program possible these past 5 years, and ask your indulgence to continue. At the beginning, someone asked me how we would ever find enough stories on the environment for Living on Earth to last more than a few months. My answer then as now was, how will we ever find enough time to do all the stories that need to be done?