Denis Allen Hayes was born on August 29, 1944. He is known for working to protect the environment and promote the use of solar energy. In 1970, he became famous as the organizer of the first Earth Day.

Hayes started the Earth Day Network and helped it grow to more than 180 countries. During the Carter administration, he led the Solar Energy Research Institute, which is now called the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He left this job when the Reagan administration stopped giving money to the program.

Since 1992, Hayes has been the president of the Bullitt Foundation in Washington. He continues to work as a leader in environmental and energy policy.

He also wrote two books: Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America's Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment and Rays of Hope.

Hayes has been honored with the national Jefferson Awards Medal for Outstanding Public Service and many other awards. In 1999, Time magazine called him a "Hero of the Planet."

Early life and education

Denis Hayes was born in Wisconsin in 1944 but grew up mainly in Camas, Washington. In 2007, a high school in Camas was named Hayes Freedom High School in his honor. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest helped Hayes develop a deep love for nature. His father worked at a paper mill on the Columbia River. The waste from the mill and the poor safety conditions for workers taught Hayes about the effects of industry on people and the environment.

In 1964, Hayes graduated from Clark Community College in Vancouver, Washington. He later earned a history degree from Stanford University, where he led the student government and worked to end the Vietnam War. During this time, he traveled to many remote places around the world. Hayes also studied at the Harvard Kennedy School but eventually graduated from Stanford Law School.

Earth Day

He left Harvard after being chosen by Senator Gaylord Nelson to organize the first Earth Day. The first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970, had participants and celebrants in 2,000 colleges and universities, about 10,000 primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities. It is believed that about 20 million people took part in demonstrations. In 2009, a film called Earth Days told the story of Earth Day and was shown at the end of that year's Sundance Film Festival.

Following the success of the first Earth Day, Hayes founded the Earth Day Network and served as international chairman for Earth Day's anniversaries in 1990 and 2000. He is known for helping the Earth Day Network grow to more than 180 countries. Today, it is the most widely celebrated secular holiday worldwide. Hayes continues to lead the international Earth Day Network board and was the Chair of the Earth Day 2010 Global Advisory Committee. In April 2020, Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary with environmental activities around the world [www.earthdaynetwork.org].

Career

During the Carter administration, Hayes became the leader of the Solar Energy Research Institute (now called the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). He left this role when the Reagan administration reduced funding for the program. Hayes returned to school and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. He later became a part-time professor of engineering at Stanford University and worked as a lawyer for the law firm Cooley Godward.

Since 1992, Hayes has served as president of the Bullitt Foundation in Seattle, Washington. He continues to lead efforts in environmental and energy policy. Using the resources of the Bullitt Foundation, Hayes aims to make the Pacific Northwest the most informed, environmentally conscious, and progressive region in the United States, serving as a global example of sustainable development. He is currently managing the construction of the Bullitt Center, which is expected to be the most energy-efficient commercial building in the world. This project places Seattle at the center of the green building movement. The Bullitt Center’s goal is to change how buildings are designed, built, and operated to improve long-term environmental results and encourage wider use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other green building technologies in the Northwest. The building is working to meet the strict standards of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous benchmark for sustainability. For example, a solar array will produce as much electricity as the building uses, and rainwater will supply all the water needed, with all wastewater treated on-site. In Seattle, Hayes lives with his wife, Gail Boyer Hayes (daughter of Paul D. Boyer), and his daughter, Lisa A. Hayes, who is a lawyer defending the Northshore United Church of Christ in relation to Tent City 4 in King County, Washington.

Throughout his career, Hayes has held many roles, including visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, and the Bellagio Center in Italy; senior fellow at the Worldwatch Institute; part-time professor of engineering at Stanford University; Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Bosch Foundation; lawyer at the Cooley Firm in Silicon Valley; and author. He has also served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Stanford University, the World Resources Institute, the Federation of American Scientists, The Energy Foundation, Children Now, the National Programming Council for Public Television, the American Solar Energy Society, Greenpeace, CERES, and the Environmental Grantmakers Association.

Awards

Hayes has been honored with the national Jefferson Awards Medal for Outstanding Public Service. He has also received the highest awards given by the Sierra Club, The Humane Society of the United States, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Council of America, the Global Environmental Facility of the World Bank, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, and the American Solar Energy Society. He was featured in the 2009 documentary film Earth Days. Time magazine named him "Hero of the Planet."

In 2014, Hayes was selected by Engineering News-Record as one of the Top 25 Newsmakers for using biomimicry to help create the Bullitt Center. In 2020, Hayes received a Trailblazer Award from Verdical Group during their annual Net Zero Conference.