Earth Day is next week.

April 22 has been set aside as a day to honor the earth, clean up after winter, and spruce up where we live.

With the weather this week warming up, it seems the right time.

Some might argue that Earth Day should have been the day that the astronauts on Artemis II looked out their windows last week as they were streaking across the sky toward the Earth.

I heard their words, as they expressed the awe they felt.

Fragile.

I’ve been thinking about how that had to appear — one beautiful blue, green and white ball in the midst of total black.

It doesn’t always look so beautiful when you walk around on Earth.

I’ve been writing a lot about conservation lately, and I’m learning a lot. As the daughter of a farmer, and following many generations of farmers, I always remember the lessons my dad taught. He loved walking through the timber, he would pick wild flowers for my mother, and talk about the beauty of the river.

That’s when I heard him talk about my grandfather, who would swim in that same river.

My grandfather would walk and trim out weeds that didn’t belong with a long-handled spade. Between my father and him, they would mow the rolling hills and admire their finished work.

They were stewards of the land.

They lived through the Dust Bowl. They knew to take care of what they had.

But stewardship doesn’t start or stop with farmers. We all have a responsibility to help take care of our Earth.

That includes planting trees and picking up trash. It means taking care of homes and businesses, keeping the shelter you need for your home and business in good repair so we are not sending everything to the landfill.

I’ve been a recycling, re-purposing person my entire life. I love that Iowa has a redemption program for bottles and cans. I was thrilled when curbside recycling came to Webster City. I love taking an item that might have been destroyed and finding a new use for it.

There are so many simple things every person on this Earth can do to protect the Earth.

And I wonder where all the garbage that we put out every week ends up.

Our world can’t absorb it all.

And I can’t fix this by myself.

We need everyone to make an effort this spring to clean things up a bit more. Ask your neighbor if they need help with their property. Open a can of paint and help spruce up a garage door, or the siding on the house.

The trash that has been blowing like crazy throughout Webster City is ending up in the wrong places in our community. It’s in flower beds, and in trees, trapped in bushes.

Sweep your steps, pick up the trash, get the street sweeper out and wash down the driveways.

Take these beautiful spring days and make a habit of making things look better.

Do it for yourself, do it for your neighbor, do it for the Earth.

Earth Day is next Wednesday. Maybe we should rename it “Make a Difference Day,” because individual efforts add up.

Let’s make sure we celebrate it by showing the Earth we really care.

Make Earth Day every day.

Kolleen Taylor is the community editor for the Daily Freeman Journal.