Thirty years ago, on Wednesday May 3, 1978, Sun Day was celebrated throughout the United States; and beyond (
years later I saw a mural for it in Kosice, Slovakia). Sun Day was meant to "usher in the solar age" according to its organizers, Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes; who earlier had organized the first Earth Day. A strong grassroots movement had been developing; beginning even before the first oil shock and boycott. President Jimmy Carter had issued a proclamation in support, and a memo by the Secretary of Agriculture urging researchers to participate in local Sun Day events was supposed to be sent to each of us. At least mine arrived weeks after I had participated without the urging, both in Berkeley and in Ukiah, Mendocino County seat; near which I had bought land where I intended to utilize the methods developed in our federal lab. Below are some stereo slides, not all directly from Sun Day, but at least related.
I expect to reorganize this post with decent captions (et al) and further text. Here only that Sun Day represented the peak of the grassroots movement; but also its end. It may have been too successful. Had it been allowed to continue, we needn't have faced today's energy crisis. I was shown how to commit suicide in Ukiah a few hours after generating the first (very small amount of) solar thermal electricity on a $50 toy generator and a Fresnel lens from the Hallmark Company; by a man who bragged about having been to a Sun Day party of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
Sun Day Fair in Berkeley; May 3, 1978
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