The Island celebrated Earth Day this weekend. On the Vineyard a great deal of hard work has gone toward environmental protection, and we have many to thank: conservation groups who have worked to save fragile areas; the Martha's Vineyard Commission, which has been the gatekeeper of our unique natural resources; private property owners who have preserved open space; farmers and fishermen who have been responsible caretakers of the land and the sea; and school children who have designed the carry-in-carry-out posters. All have contributed to the cause.

The poet, farmer and conservationist Wendell Berry once remarked there is no such thing as a global village. "No matter how much one may love the world as a whole, one can live fully in it only by living responsibly in one small part of it," he wrote.

Yesterday the Vineyard Conservation Society sponsored its annual Earth Day beach cleanup – a good way for Islanders to keep living responsibly on this small corner of the earth. And one we should practice every day.