Sun Day (May 3, 1978) was designated by United States President Jimmy Carter, specifically devoted to advocacy for solar power,[1] following a joint resolution by Congress, H.J.Res.
[4] While President Carter flew to Denver to visit a solar power research institute, others gathered in Cadillac Mountain in Maine where the sun's rays allegedly first touch the United States (although not at that time of the year).
A crowd gathered at UN Plaza in New York City to listen to speeches by people such as Robert Redford, who reminded them that the sun "can't be embargoed by any foreign nation".
At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, environmental activist Barry Commoner opined to a group of 500 people that solar power was an issue as pivotal as slavery and that "if Mr. Carter and Energy Secretary Schlesinger won't talk about solar energy, it's time that we did," and that solar power was the "one solution to the economic problems of the United States.
"[5] Other events on the National Mall included a Marathon, speeches by Senators Ted Kennedy and Ralph Nader, and a concert with Jackson Browne.