Team Edwards celebrates Earth Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Team Edwards observed Earth Day with a celebration April 17 at the mobile home park near the Base Exchange.

Hosted by Environmental Management, the event's theme was "Confronting Climate Change in California and Around the Globe."

Earth Day is intended to entertain people and inform them about how to reduce waste and show them how they may contribute to the current global climate issue, said Bob Wood, Environmental Management director.

"Everything here is designed to show people how they can make a difference," Mr. Wood said. "We have these displays to help people see what a big difference a small act of environmental conservation can make."

The event featured informational displays about environmental conservation from various base organizations as well as private companies about their purpose and how people could use these concepts to fight pollution. Also featured was an awards ceremony held for students of the base schools who won poster-drawing and essay-writing contests. Col. Nancy Wharton, 95th Air Base Wing commander, also planted a tree as part of the celebration.

One of the programs highlighted was the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The purpose of the program is to encourage people to make their homes and offices more environmentally friendly.

"(Environmental Management) thinks the LEED program is important," said Andrea Brewer, EM air quality specialist. "Participants learn ways they can make small alterations to their house or work environment and make a big difference in the preservation of natural resources -- like having a bamboo floor as opposed to wood because bamboo regenerates itself naturally every nine years."

Information about hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles was available as well as information on the benefits of car pooling. This was intended to inform participants of the role carbon dioxide from car exhaust plays in global climate change.

Children of all ages participated in the Earth Day activities including a trivia game to test the contestants' environmental knowledge. Eddie, the Edwards desert tortoise, and McGruff the crime dog were on hand to entertain the children.

"We were pleased with how many people showed up," Mr. Wood said. "Every year the turnout increases, showing that more and more people are interested in learning how they can make a difference."