Wednesday, April 22, was Earth Day and that means people around the world did their part by finding innovative new ways to sustain our natural resources. Huntsville Center workers, Charles Rollins, Kellie Williams, Safety Office; Juan Pace, Engineering Directorate; Russell Dunford, Executive Office and Brandy Wilkerson, Chemical Demilitarization Directorate, set up an environmental cleanup station for more than 250 fifth-graders from the Huntsville and Madison City School districts during Team Redstone's Earth Day.
Celebrating Earth Day with Team Redstone has been an ongoing effort at Huntsville Center since 2006. In the past, Ordnance and Explosives, Engineering and Installation Support and Programs Management directorates have all put on stations to showcase how the Corps practices environmental stewardship on programs and projects worldwide.
Environmental safety and recycling to meet green standards were all topics of discussion at Huntsville Center's station. Students learned about methods the Corps uses to address environmental concerns on projects, allowed students to try on actual safety equipment and handed out a variety of unexploded ordnance literature. In addition, Sgt. Woof, a mascot for the Army Environmental Command, mixed and mingled with the children, emphasizing the 3Rs of unexploded ordnance safety: Recognize, Retreat, Report.
Rollins also spoke during the opening ceremony. He told students how the Corps wants to be a model for the nation by placing environmental stewardship at the forefront of all its projects and programs.
"I am honored to be here on behalf of my organization, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Center. Earth Day is a day to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth's environment. It was April 22, 1970, when 20 million Americans joined then Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson to mark the first Earth Day. And now, more than 40 years later, we’re still marking the occasion. Since that first Earth Day, Americans have raised awareness of the need to be ’green’. That goes for the Corps as well," Rollins said.
"For those of us who are part of the Corps, it’s one more day in our journey toward ensuring that our actions are sustainable, and that we are the very best stewards we can be of this country, of this planet,” Rollins said. “We have been looking at the environmental impacts of our work for more than four decades. We have placed environmental values on an equal footing with fiscal and engineering concerns in support of environmentally sustainable expansion."
In Huntsville Center Commander Col. Robert Ruch's Earth Day message he talked about what Earth Day means to the organization.
"At Huntsville Center, every day is Earth Day,” Ruch said. “Our program areas support a healthy, sustainable environment in a variety of ways across the globe. For instance, our Ordnance and Explosives Directorate is working in Afghanistan to clear land mines; our Facilities Reduction Program recycles 70-75 percent or more of facilities being demolished, which means that 75 percent of the debris does not go to landfills; when possible, our Furnishings Program buys sustainable, green products to outfit new barracks and administrative spaces for our Soldiers; and our renewable energy efforts are phenomenal. Through our energy programs, we use third-party financing to install solar energy arrays, wind turbines, improved lighting and HVAC; we review utility invoices to ensure the Army is getting the best prices on utilities, and we conduct energy audits that identify measures installations can take to reduce the consumption and cost of energy and water. We take our Earth very seriously. At Huntsville Center, we take pride in our sustainable solutions for customers that help protect our environment year-round.”
Kimberly Hobbs, fifth-grade teacher at West Madison Elementary School said the event was great for her students because they learned some new ways to protect the earth and experienced Earth Day in a natural setting.
"My class really enjoyed all the activities, especially talking with the Sgt. Woof mascot at the Army Corps of Engineers station. It was also good to learn how they are an environmentally friendly organization," Hobbs said. "I'd also like to have the Corps speakers visit my classroom to continue this discussion."