Denis Hayes

Denis Hayes, co-founder and lead coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970, reflects on half a century of the environmental movement in this Earth Live interview.

Working alongside U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Hayes coordinated a national event that brought 20 million Americans into the streets, launching the modern environmental movement and leading directly to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and landmark legislation including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Hayes shares behind-the-scenes stories from the early days of Earth Day, assesses the movement's victories and unfinished business over the past 50 years, and offers his perspective on what it will take to meet the environmental challenges of the coming decades.