The headline quote comes from Bill McKibben. Together with Denis Hayes, founder of Earth Day, he launched Sun Day this past Sunday, September 21, 2025. Their goal is to build on the spirit of the first Earth Day—which brought millions into the streets in 1970 and helped catalyze sweeping environmental change—by creating a new day of collective action.

Today, the technology for clean energy is ready. The organizers of Sun Day say that what’s needed now is not new inventions but greater public momentum. The event showcased this next step by focusing on adoption and support for renewable energy like solar and wind. More than 450 public events took place across the U.S.—from house tours and community fairs to rallies and parades in cities such as Boise and Buffalo. There were workshops, solar home tours, and neighborhood gatherings of all sizes. Thousands joined to demonstrate their commitment to making clean energy accessible for everyone.

I am especially interested in the project’s visual identity, designed by Collins. It takes environmentalism out of the abstract and transforms it into something tangible, participatory, and personal. The central symbol is deceptively simple: a sun that remains unfinished until you decide to complete it. This extends into a digital commons where anyone, no matter where they are, can draw their own version, add it to a global gallery, and see themselves as part of something larger. Amplifying the message is a living typeface, inspired by the raw urgency of protest posters, designed to be remixed and reshaped by the people who use it.

ARTICLE: Designing Action: COLLINS, McKibben, and the Birth of Sun Day

WEBPAGE: COLLINS

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