I was surprised to learn recently that Bill Manning was one of the original founders of Earth Day in 1970.

He told me of those turbulent times, especially on college campuses, of anti-war protests, rallies and “teach-ins.” They were popular tools of the day to bring awareness to the Vietnam War. Bill was a 21-year-old senior at the University of Michigan.

Witnessing the success of those efforts, he suggested to a few friends they do same thing for the environment. They brought together a diverse coalition from across the political spectrum who shared a common concern for the environment, drawing over 50,000 people.

Organizing was in full swing in Ann Arbor when they learned of different groups planning similar events around the country. These efforts eventually came together nationally under the “Earth Day” tent. Bill said, “It was a profound experience as a young person working to grow a larger social change movement. It set in motion a momentum that was transformational at the time. Today, climate change is an unresolved environmental issue that was identified a long time ago and is now an overwhelming and profound crisis.”

Bill’s wisdom was on full display when he said, “Broad social change movements don’t emerge from a vacuum or in a single location, rather, they become increasingly visible in a “popcorn” style as an idea bursts into view closely followed by others in different locations.”

This Earth Day, let’s reflect upon the work of those before us and ahead for all of us.

Tim Guill

Durango