Travis plans Earth Day events all month long Published March 23, 2012 By Merrie Schilter-Lowe 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Earth Day is April 22 but activities at Travis are planned for the entire month. Earth Day promotes awareness and appreciation for the environment. Hosting activities throughout the month will help increase awareness of the Air Force theme, "Conserve today; secure tomorrow," said Capt. Dustin Creed, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron and Earth Day committee member. "It is everyone's responsibility to protect the earth's resources and reduce energy consumption," he said. Travis activities were planned with those goals in mind, said Dolores Tiburcio, 60th CES and Earth Day project manager. "We'll kick off activities with a month-long base-wide recycling contest starting April 2," she said. The contest will pit squadron teams against each other to collect and redeem the most aluminum cans and plastic and glass bottles. The team earning the most cash will receive a grand prize and be able to keep the funds raised for their booster clubs. "Or they can donate it to charity," Tiburcio said. Teams must register by April 1 by contacting 2nd Lt. Rachelle Miller at 424-1311 or email: rachelle.miller@us.af.mil. The committee is also sponsoring the first ever Travis human energy tournament, which will promote awareness of renewable energy by taking advantage of the new elliptical machines at the fitness center. The machines are connected to the base's power grid and convert human energy into no-cost, carbon-free electricity to power the building. Each elliptical has a flat-screen television that shows how much energy is being created. "We're hoping every squadron on base participates in this competition not only for the prizes and bragging rights, but also because the harder the teams work out, the more power they put back into the fitness center," Tiburcio said. The contest will be April 18. The final activity for the month will be the annual grocery bag art contest for elementary school and child development center students on base. The contest will be April 16 to 20. Students will decorate bags with scenes depicting recycling activities and several of the threatened and endangered species on Travis. The base commissary will display the bags and provide them to shoppers on Earth Day, Tiburcio said. For more information on any of the activities, contact Tiburcio at 424-5127. In addition to participating in base activities, Creed said people can find more ideas on how to protect the earth at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website at http://www.epa.gov/earthday. "Former Marine biologist and conservationists Rachel Carlson used her book 'Silent Spring,' to increase public awareness of environmental pollution in 1962," Creed said. Carson died in 1964, but her work helped to start an environmental movement that eventually led to the creation of the EPA, he said. Earth Day itself was founded by former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to inspire awareness and appreciation for natural resources. Although he conceived the idea in 1962, the senator said it took another seven years for the government to embrace the program. "The people were concerned, but the politicians were not," Gaylord said in a 1993 American Heritage Magazine article. The tide changed in the spring of 1970 when Senator Gaylord patterned a nationwide environmental "teach-in" day focusing on the environment. "The idea took off like gangbusters," he said. "The American people finally had a forum to express their concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes and air. And they did so with spectacular exuberance." Earth Day became an international observance in 1990. To register, sign up at the fitness center or contact Airman 1st Class Travis Reed at 424-8868 or email: travis.reed.5@us.a.mil.