Campaign ends but 'Every day is Earth Day' actions continue

  • Published
  • By Debbie Aragon
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The largest ever San Antonio Armed Forces Earth Day celebration came to an end April 22, Earth Day, after nearly a month of events across the Alamo City to educate and encourage people to take action daily to conserve resources and cleanup and protect the environment.

The campaign marked the first time military organizations here, such the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, the Air Force Real Property Agency, Joint Base San Antonio and the Army Environmental Command, have come together for the annual celebration.

With a theme of "Every Day is Earth Day," this year's campaign focused on individual actions at home and in our communities such as recycling, vanpooling, energy conservation, being water wise and cleaning up and protecting our environment through community projects.

Over the commemoration period, which formally began with a kickoff expo March 31, more than 600 man hours were spent cleaning, painting and weeding area parks and the San Antonio River; more than 1,000 pounds of trash were collected; more than 2,000 people were given information on green initiatives to use in their daily lives and more than 500 educational hours were offered through brown bag information lunches and the kickoff expo.

Each event that took place clearly demonstrated the San Antonio armed forces' commitment to outreach, awareness and actions people can take every day to live 'greener' lives, said Terry Edwards, AFCEE director.

"At AFCEE, we are proud to be the Air Force's environmental stewards; executing effective and efficient environmental program management around the globe," said Mr. Edwards. "This Earth Day campaign gave us the opportunity to show our commitment to restore and protect Mother Earth doesn't stop when we leave the office."

The campaign provided an example of the things everyone can do to protect and preserve the environment.

"With more than a dozen events in the local community this was personal; we were able to make a difference right here where we work and live," said Bob Moore, AFRPA director.
"Earth Day has become an annual event for our agency," he added. "Many of the men and women who work here came to San Antonio to oversee the environmental cleanup at Kelly Air Force Base after the BRAC announcement, and now they're here for good, a part of the community."

The campaign's biggest community event was cleaning up a section of the San Antonio River at Mission Reach April 19. More than 120 people turned out to pick up trash and debris, pull weeds and remove algae from the river.

"At one point, we were scraping some algae off the top of the river, and a 12-inch bass jumped right out of the water because we had scraped the algae underneath it," Mr. Moore said. "Ducks were coming in right behind us in the clean water and reclaiming the area we had just cleaned out. It was awesome to see the immediate impact we were making on the San Antonio River."

Earth Day provides a time to focus on the things people can do to make a lasting and positive impression on the environment.

"The way we go about our business and the way we go about our lives has a significant impact on generations to follow both in terms of their health and in their lives," said Brig. Gen. Mark Ediger, Air Force Medical Operations Agency commander and guest speaker for a Bldg. 171 tree planting ceremony April 22.

It was fitting, he said, that one of the culminating events in the campaign was enhancing the local environment by planting a Chinkapin oak.

Although this year's Earth Day campaign has come to a close, Mr. Edwards pointed out the importance of keeping this year's theme alive.

"The only way we can hope to protect and sustain our planet for future generations is to continue to raise awareness and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle -- daily," Mr. Edwards said.