It was not long ago that concern for the environment in the United States was the domain of a small but passionate group of people. Often unfairly, those people were labeled as far-left liberals, and in many ways, their views and actions were dismissed as being too out-of-touch with real-world practicalities.

These days, however, environmental responsibility has broad appeal. More people are making decisions about their homes, lawns, cars and even meals with the impact on earth in mind. An increasing number of corporations are touting their green records, and many enterprises are finding economic opportunities with products and services that conserve natural resources. Even in the political arena, there's solid support on both sides of the aisle for taking better care of the planet.

Unfortunately, when it comes to making true progress, government leaders still have a long way to go.

Alternative energy development is something just about every elected official pledges to support, but the actually investment and commitment still lacks.

Everyone says they want to make us less reliant on foreign oil, but work toward developing public transportation systems and more energy-efficient automobiles has merely crawled along. A perfect example locally is the disappearance of a federal grant that had been lined up to study commuter rail feasibility between Auburn and Syracuse, a major commuter route in central New York. Money was lined up a few years ago, but leaders on all levels seemingly forgot about it and it never came to fruition.

That story summarizes the whole green push quite well. Big announcements, pledges of support and then very little follow-up in terms of bringing changes about.

Fortunately in Auburn and Cayuga County, we've seen some tangible progress in terms of local green projects, but leaders need to be careful not to let up. One or two digesters and some geothermal HVAC systems should be merely a start.

With Earth Day here on Tuesday, this is a good time to call on all of our elected officials to realize what's going on around them and make commitment to the health of this planet a top priority.