ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
The popularity of Earth Day perhaps has waned in recent years, but the need for it has not. The admonishment to all earth dwellers is the same one we heard at our mother’s knee: Clean up your own mess. Because millions of thoughtless people apparently never learned that lesson, sometimes we have to clean up after them, too. That’s what committed folks like Lloyd Davies (Page 1) do from time to time-and find fulfillment in doing so.
Caring for the environment is sometimes pooh-poohed as the whimsical ideal of “tree-hugging liberals.” Few things could be further from the truth. Anyone who claims a connection with God has a responsibility to respect the earth God created. That takes shape in many forms: farmers commit themselves to soil conservation, families take the time to separate recyclables from the rest of the household trash, and all of us resist the temptation to toss cans and wrappers out the car window.
Earth Day is April 22, but caring for this planet is a privilege we need to exercise every day of the year. -DR
