Environmental Management, 95th Air Base Wing host Earth Day 2010

  • Published
  • By Stephen K. Robinson
  • 95th ABW/PA
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- --  Team Edwards celebrated Earth Day 2010 with environmental exhibits, activities and information stations set up at the Center of Excellence, May 4.

The basewide celebration was hosted by Environmental Management and 95th Air Base Wing, and marked the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day observance with this year's theme of "Global Climate, Change and You."

Display stations featured specialists with information and educational activities about their area of expertise. In addition, the Blue Mountain Tribe performed live music throughout the festival with their blend of blues and rock.

Col. Jerry Gandy, 95th Air Base Wing commander, and first graders from the on base Branch Elementary School assisted in planting a Modesto Ash in celebration of Arbor Day, which was April 30.

Colonel Gandy told the children the reason the Modesto Ash was selected was because it grows fast and requires little water.

A free tour to Piute Ponds was offered this year, as was a tour of base wildflowers.

Food booths sold hamburgers, hot dogs, baked goods, cotton candy and drinks.

Some of the Earth Day displays and activities included: Sustainability workshops and interactive Web sites that calculate an individual's carbon footprint based on lifestyle; a children's corner featuring sing-along music, a short play and a book-reading session; an Earth science exhibit and informational workshops on how to protect Earth; displays of robots and gadgets to teach about engineering; and Geographic Information Systems allowed visitors to participate in geo-caching, which is treasure hunting using Global Positioning System technology.  

Natural Resources displayed live snakes and desert tortoises.  Archaeologists displayed artifacts representing 12,000 years of human presence in the region.  Their exhibit included demonstrations and a walk-in cave where visitors made their own simulated petroglyphs.  Other exhibits provided visitors information on how to recycle household waste and how air quality can be improved using alternative fuels.

Up-to-the-minute information on environmentally-friendly vehicles and carpooling were also on hand at the celebration.  A mobile education unit showed people how to make their homes more energy efficient.  Other displays showed Xeriscape landscaping techniques, and provided information about a 3,000-acre solar farm that has been approved for construction on west Edwards.

As they entered the Center of Excellence, children were given an event map on which they needed to collect endorsements from each display they visited. McGruff, the crime-fighting dog, and Eddie, the Edwards Tortoise, were also on hand to entertain children.