As executive director of the first Earth Day in April 1970, Hayes helped launch the modern movement of environmentalism, and has promoted the use of solar energy and other renewable resources. A native of Camas, Washington, Hayes acquired his appreciation of nature exploring and enjoying the mountains, lakes, and beaches of the Pacific Northwest. At age 19, he dropped out of Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, and spent the next three years traveling the world. He installed church pews in Honolulu, taught swimming and modeled in Tokyo, and hitchhiked through Africa.

After returning to the United States, Hayes enrolled at Stanford as a history major, was elected student body president, and became active in the anti-Viet Nam War movement, occupying laboratories that researched military projects. After graduating from Stanford, he...