On April 22nd, 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson organized an “environmental teach-in” following conversations with prominent activists. Nelson sat down with graduate student, Denis Hayes, who dropped out of school to become the National Coordinator for the campaign. Hayes then took a meeting with Madison Ave Ad-man, Julian Koenig, who proposed calling the event Earth Day.

The first Earth Day brought 20 million people to protest for environmental reform. Today, it is a large-scale global event. Children and parents, white-collar workers and blue-collar workers, activists and the unengaged, coalesce around the simple idea of protecting our planet.

Today, we are in crisis. We need environmental reform, and the First District has the potential to be ground zero for innovation. The District is already facing the effects of the climate crisis. Populations are dwindling, tides are rising, and land is sinking. We are in need of swift and decisive action.

In my time in government, I oversaw the building of hundreds of millions of dollars of eco-friendly water and sanitation systems and the implementation of renewable energy projects. In my time in the private sector, I helped develop a climate early warning system. I have worked with the US Government and MIT to lead the charge on climate reform. Now, I am building a movement to bring this experience to Washington.

This Earth Day, we must take time to solemnly reflect on the path we are on, and plot out the course ahead. The climate crisis will disrupt economies and ecosystems, and it is our job as people of the earth to mitigate the damage and create a better future for our children and their children. Change is coming whether we believe it or not, and we must lead change for the Next American Century.

-- Dave