RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
"Every Day is Earth Day" is the clarion call for an unprecedented campaign this month featuring the joint efforts of the 502nd Air Base Wing and three other Department of Defense entities.
Randolph Air Force Base, with the 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron leading the way, is playing an active role in the campaign with activities ranging from shred days and e-cycling week to an Earth Day event at the base exchange and an Arbor Day ceremony near Randolph Elementary School.
Tiffany Evans, 902nd CES environmental engineer, said Thursdays throughout April are set aside for shred days, which will allow members of the Randolph community to shred their personal documents at the recycling center, Bldg. 1152, protecting their identity and the environment.
"The purpose of shred days is to focus on this service at the recycling center so people will go there throughout the year," she said.
Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick, 502nd ABW commander, proclaimed April as Earth Day/Month for Joint Base San Antonio and the campaign kicked off with a cleanup project April 1 at San Pedro Park. Servicemembers, civilians and contractors from the 502nd ABW and other participants in the campaign - the Air Force Real Property Agency, the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment and the U.S. Army Environmental Command - cleared dead landscape and painted curbs and poles in the park's roundabout area during the morning-long event.
Activities this week included a tour of the Lackland Air Force Base recycling center and a tree dedication in the Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle. Among upcoming events are the Mission Reach river cleanup April 19, the Lackland Earth Day Fun Run April 20 and the Lackland Environmental Expo April 21 at the base exchange.
During e-cycling week at Randolph, April 18-22, people are encouraged to bring their old computers and other electronics items such as televisions, radios and DVD and CD players to the recycling center each day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"This is another service that is offered year-round," Ms. Evans said.
Randolph Elementary School students will also play a major role in Earth Month - an environmental art contest for third-graders, an Earth Day grocery bag decoration activity April 22 and environmental awareness activities April 29.
The grocery bags students decorate will be used at the commissary, Ms. Evans said. Environmental awareness activities will include flower planting, creation of Earth Day T-shirts, a recycling demonstration and a plant canister project.
An environmental awareness display is being presented throughout April at the base library, she said. The display features books, brochures and other literature on environmental topics and products made from recycled materials.
Earth Day, April 22, will be observed with an event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the BX. Personnel from the 902nd CES Environmental Flight will distribute brochures, fliers and other educational materials and provide tips on a number of topics, from recycling and hazardous waste to air and water quality. They will hand out freebies such as biodegradable water bottles and pedometers.
The Earth Day event will also feature CPS Energy representatives, who will hand out compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, and show people how they can receive rebates when they buy energy-saving products.
The Arbor Day ceremony April 29 will feature a tree planting on the traffic island between the elementary school and Harmon Drive.
Ms. Evans said she hopes activities planned throughout the month will expose the base community to products and practices they can use to protect and improve the environment on a daily basis.
"We're just trying to raise awareness," she said. "That's the focus."