It goes without saying that caring for our shared Earth is one of our most important duties, especially as inhabitants of such a beautiful county and the Delaware River valley. The saying “every day is Earth Day” holds a special place in the hearts of those who call this place home, and it shows. 

But that saying is almost doctrine for the community on actual Earth Day, which falls on today. Dozens and dozens of volunteers have taken the past number of days and weeks to clean up roads, waterways and everywhere else to prepare for the terra-centric holiday. Once again, we want to take the opportunity to give a booming thank you to all those who offered their time and energy into this year’s approach to keeping our home clean.

We would not be the place that we are without the actions and care of each and every one of the people whose hands did not falter in doing what is right. We owe so much to those who do it all constantly, not just on Earth Day, but every day.

But we also want to call out all the litterbugs amongst us. It truly is a shame when you see someone rolling down their window and throwing out a coffee cup, fast food lunch bag or something worse.

This past weekend we had the pleasure of seeing a young couple who lives in Callicoon picking up an entire pickup truck full of garbage along Route 97 south.

Not only did they spend their time cleaning the roadways, but then they drove to the Western Sullivan Transfer Station in Cochecton where they paid to drop off someone else’s garage.

They also picked up hub caps, used tires and lots of other interesting items. This family definitely gets the Gold Star for doing the right thing.

Even though we have such good stewards to the land we all share, it also goes without saying that if you see trash on the ground, blowing in the breeze, caught in the brush or anywhere else where you can safely and legally retrieve trash – please carry on the mission and pick it up! 

After all, it really is all about the Earth.