Denis Hayes, one of Earth Day’s founders 50 years ago, reflects
.article-badge{display: block; margin:20px 0;}@media only screen and (min-width: 768px){.article-badge{position:absolute; left:36%; top: -175px;margin:0;}}@media only screen and (min-width: 1240px){.article-badge{left:-260px;}} Denis Hayes was a 25-year-old student at Harvard Kennedy School in 1969 but dropped out after a semester to become a principal organizer of a grass-roots nonprofit that planned a nationwide rally on April 22, 1970, an event they would call Earth Day. That one-day gathering to raise awareness of threats to the environment, held in hundreds of cities and towns across the country, attracted a reported 20 million people. Now CEO of the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle nonprofit that promotes and supports environmental and climate protection efforts in the Pacific Northwest, Hayes spoke with the Gazette, as Earth Day’s 50th anniversary approaches on Wednesday, about the birth of the event, how he stumbled into a leadership role as a Kennedy School student, and Earth Day’s lasting influence on environmental policy. Q&A Denis Hayes GAZETTE: How did...