Dennis Hayes, national coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970, has an excellent piece in the Yale Environment 360 newsletter about the need to couple the broad grass roots efforts of Earth Day with “intense, determined political action.” It’s a great point to keep in mind as we celebrate the 40th Earth Day, review the successes of the environmental movement, and look ahead to the challenges we are sure to face in the coming months and years.  From Mr. Hayes:

“. . . an event seeking to enlist tens of millions of people must accept a broad common denominator. It must welcome those who are just beginning to recycle as well as those who are devoting their entire lives to the pursuit of ambitious environmental goals.  However, to succeed against the wealthy, powerful forces arrayed against it on issues like climate disruption, ocean acidification, and a global epidemic of extinction, the environmental movement also needs a large block of people who will fight for a sustainable future valiantly and without compromise.”