One of the lessons my time in the Army taught me was that we are all put on this Earth to serve something greater than ourselves. That lesson is never more top of mind than when Earth Day arrives on April 22 each year.

Earth Day turned 48 on Sunday, and we wanted to take a moment to wish it a happy birthday. All those who came before and have fought to make the air more breathable, the water and land more clean, and the Earth’s surface more green fought against overwhelming odds—and yet they are still winning the battle today.

The rise of the solar industry is just the latest iteration of the success of the Earth Day visionaries. I and the rest of the team at Standard Solar consider ourselves so fortunate to be in the solar industry because it allows us to come to work every day and know we are doing whatever we can to help preserve this planet we all share.

So happy 48th birthday, Earth Day—may you live to celebrate this great day long into the future.