Without education and awareness, it’s nearly impossible to affect change. Even with those things, people ignore calls to action. Often, it takes personal experience ... some sort of conversion.

But education is a critical element.

We have Senator Gaylord Nelson and a team of young activists to thank for bringing about the first National Environment Teach-In in 1970.

To the great relief of those little boxes on our calendars, today isn’t called the National Environment Teach-In. It was the legendary copywriter, Julian Koenig, who coined its enduring name: Earth Day.

And yet we know … a name is just the beginning, and important work remains.