Celebrated Earth Day by picking up trash near my office at lunch. 

I would very much like to tell you a story today about how Earth Day was started by an unemployed person who had an idea, labored and persevered without resources, but somehow, through sheer willpower, starting from a rally of 3 people, made it the day it is today. But I can’t.

Instead, I will tell you that the idea came to a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson. He had resources and power. But he used them to do something better than just be a politician. He leveraged the tools that he had, got consensus from both parties, created an organization and let ‘er rip.

The result in 1970: national news coverage, mass rallies, mass protests against pollution, and the start of something big.

It doesn’t matter if you’re unemployed or a United States Senator, you can make a difference.

Happy Earth Day!