Officially, April 22 was Earth Day. Unofficially, every day is Earth Day.

It’s fitting that one day out of the year is proclaimed in this fashion as a reminder of the need for good stewardship — something that even has Biblical connotations.

As has been noted on many occasions, “they’re not making any more of it.”

The demands on our “good earth” have increased tremendously in the past century as more farm production is required from fewer acres and more acres are covered in concrete and asphalt. Along the way chemical involvements, nature tantrums and other negative devices have taken their toll as progress displays its side effects.

And because every day should be embraced as Earth Day, we have those whose jobs and passions are to protect and where possible to improve our soil, water and atmosphere.

We may be more conscious of such stewardship in this part of the country simply because we can drive down the road and see terraces, drain tile, grassed waterways, etc. As well, we know that our farmers are trained in chemical applications on their crops. We see numerous water impoundments that help the irrigation process, and we know that on peak-period occasions irrigation units that operate off electric power are shut down for a few hours.

We have just gone through an episode known as “water wars” in Southwest Georgia where the crux of the matter is the amount of water available to industry and agriculture. It made us aware that our demands on water are much more critical than they were 50 years ago.

And so with each day, we must remind ourselves that we all have a stake in protecting and conserving our natural resources. We are either directly or indirectly connected to these issues. Indeed, every day is Earth Day. And we should never take that for granted.