Earth Day celebrated at Wright-Patterson Published April 24, 2009 By Cason Soat 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The 88th Civil Engineer Directorate hosted Wright-Patterson's first ever Earth Day celebration April 22 at the recycling center here to emphasize the importance of environmental conservation and to showcase how the base is "going green." The event kicked off with brief remarks from Col. Bradley Spacy, 88th Air Base Wing commander, who voiced the significance of Earth Day as, "a day to celebrate taking care of the Earth." Col. Spacy highlighted the base's new fuel and energy conservation programs and stressed that everyone must, "take care of our resources so we have them forever." Following the colonel's remarks, attendees were encouraged to stop by the tables and tents set up displaying various agencies continuing efforts and successes in "green" activities and production. One of the agencies in attendance, Office Runway, had a sign-up sheet for individuals to receive a free Redbud tree seedling in celebration of the event. Office Runway, who does business on the base through sales of office supplies, has saved 20,000 trees in the past 8 years through sales of copy paper with 30% and 50% recycled content. The base's environmental management team was also on site giving away recycled content items such as piggy banks made from recycled currency, yo-yos made from 100% recycled plastic, crayons produced from soybeans, pencils comprised of recycled denim and t-shirts made from 50% recycled plastic and 50% recycled cotton. A few stacks of paper were set-up at the event and attendees were given the opportunity to guess how many barrels of oil were saved by recycling the paper. The correct answer was approximately two barrels, or 84 gallons. Mike Self from Air Force Materiel Command's Air, Space and Information Operations Directorate, took home a $50 gift certificate to the Wright-Patterson Club for being nearest in his estimate. "It's all about improving awareness on what people can do to conserve energy and become more environmentally friendly," said Raymond Baker, chief of the quality branch of Environmental Management here. Baker hopes that this celebration will become an annual CE event. The day also included a visit by some children from the Child Development Center. A group of 3 to 5 year olds took a tour through the recycling center, which included a stop by a worm farm, and took a walk past the displays where they leaned about energy conservation. "It's critical for kids to grow up learning about the importance of recycling," said Baker. "If a lifestyle of economic friendliness is ingrained in their minds at a young age, as they get older they can develop new ways of conserving energy and improving our environment." Bill Meinerding, the program manager for the recycling center here, said that one of the most challenging tasks of a recycling center is informing the public about its functions and effectiveness. "Anytime we can get the word out through events such as this, it is truly beneficial," said Meinerding. Meinerding also pointed out that recycling is only half of the equation when it comes to being "green." "Recycling itself is a great habit to get into, but the only way for the process to have both economical and environmental benefits, individuals must also purchase goods produced from recycled material." Other agencies involved in the Earth Day festivities included: National Parks Service, Education Outreach and base services.