Message from Denis Hayes: It’s Time for Science, Not Silence

By Denis Hayes, Organizer, the first Earth Day When I was 25 years old, I knew we had to do something to restore our deeply polluted environment. I picked up the phone, wrote letters to anyone who would listen, assembled a crackerjack staff, and before we knew it, we had our country’s attention. The first Earth Day in 1970 mobilized twenty million concerned citizens to demand federal action, spurring the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of landmark laws that guide environmental policy to this day. Now, nearly five decades later, the EPA – and science itself – are under assault. That’s why we’re standing up once again. Tens of thousands of supporters like you have already pledged to make your voices heard at the March for Science on April 22nd. But we need your help, too. Just like the first Earth Day in 1970, the 2017 March for Science is a transformational moment for our planet. Will you stand with us? Lab coats in the streets are not a common sight. But with a new administration stocked with climate change deniers and the specter of devastating cuts to basic scientific research, scientists and all those who cherish good science are stepping forward to be heard. We can no longer wait on the sidelines as politicians politicize science and undermine the evidence-based policies that safeguard our planet. Not with climate change accelerating and critical agencies facing massive cuts. Those who treasure sound science will no longer be silent. We are speaking out as one to stand for reason and facts.