The 56th Earth Day is only a few days away. This time each year is one for reflection, for advocacy, and for celebration. It’s a time when those of us who love our planet come together and demand better from our leaders, so that we might create a healthier, happier world for all who inhabit it. In 2026, Earth Day feels a bit different than usual, at least from where I’m sitting. Often there’s a malaise in the air (figuratively speaking), and one can’t help but wonder from time to time “why bother?” The last year has been more than a little challenging for all environmentalists. On a global scale, fossil fuels continue to be burned at alarming rates, with little attention paid to what those fumes are doing to our environment. On a local level, Long Islanders continue to battle encroaching developers, who like automatons march endlessly toward strip malls, warehouses, battery storage facilities, and data centers. And on a personal level, we at the Long Island Pine Barrens Society lost some of our pillars. Cofounder Bob McGrath and Executive Director Dick Amper both passed away in the time since the last Earth Day and now. And Board Member Tom Casey passed away only a month prior to Earth Day 55.
When faced with so much hardship, and so much loss, the challenges begin to feel suffocating. Always, it’s a struggle. For every step forward we take toward a cleaner, greener Long Island and a cleaner, greener world, it feels like we’re shoved two steps back. For every acre we preserve, another ten are under threat. Too often the work of an environmentalist can feel Sisyphean – the boulder will always roll down the hill.
Doubts such as these can be banished with just a little bit of perspective. Recall the famous Pale Blue Dot or consider the recent images of the Earth captured by the Artemis II mission. That the entirety of human existence can be captured in a single photograph is humbling, but also inspiring. Our planet is not so big as to render small acts meaningless. Everything is interconnected. Every acre preserved is another acre where endangered species can thrive, and where the aquifer can safely recharge. Every ton of reused material is another ton that doesn’t end up in a landfill, where it decomposes and contaminates our aquifer. Every day we work toward a happier, healthier Long Island, a happier, healthier Earth, is another day that we don’t simply roll over and allow unscrupulous developers to do what they want.
There will always be people who put their own, short-sighted self-interest above what is scientifically shown to be beneficial for the longevity of not just the human species, but all life on Earth. Yet, the inevitability of such people existing is not cause to give up. I believe that there are more of us who wish to see a cleaner, greener, healthier Earth than those who wish to pilfer it. And that’s really what Earth Day is all about. This year’s theme – Our Power, Our Planet – sums up exactly what I’ve been working toward throughout this piece. We, together, can band together and work for a better world. The Pine Barrens Society is but one of the many groups across the world working to create that world. And though it is a struggle, though we experience hardship and loss along the way, we have to continue that work because the alternative is to simply give up and allow things to get worse.
A favorite phrase of the late Dick Amper was “dream it up, and make it happen!” We all share the dream of a world where the air and water are clean, where human beings can live in harmony with all the other creatures that call this planet home, and where people live longer, happier, healthier lives. Until that dream becomes a reality, we can never stop fighting for it. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of all that we’ve lost and sacrificed so far. And so, for Earth Day 56, we at the Pine Barrens Society renew our vow to continue our work to create the Long Island we dream of.
By Travis Cutter, Long Island Pine Barrens Society
