Where our Story Begins
Growing up in Camas, Washington, Denis Hayes spent much of his early childhood camping and developing a love and appreciation for the outdoors. Realizing that paper was made from logs, he wondered why the initiation of paper-making - the “moon-scaping” caused by the logging operations he would see when camping, all the way through the production of the paper with acrid smells spewing out of smokestacks was really worth the cost to our environment. This ability to see the necessity of industry in our economy juxtaposed with an under-valued environment was undeniably visionary. As one of Earth Day’s founders, Denis saw the need for mankind to co-exist with the only Earth we have. It is worth connecting the past history of paper making and the mill to our future here in Camas. It is an interesting story and one that needs to be told to appreciate that the story does not have to end on a bad note. It’s a sharing of that vision for a better future that the Camas Earth Day Society was created. We firmly believe that we have the opportunity to change the course of an old mill town and create a much brighter, more sustainable future right in our backyard.
Camas Earth Day Society President Molly McKay Williams and National Director for Earth Day 1970 and Camas native Denis Hayes, April 2024. Denis remains active in Camas issues.
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