CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Events took place last week to spread awareness and celebrations for Earth and Arbor Day.
From increasing the population of trees on-base to teaching kids how to build nests for birds, activities educated Cannon members on how to keep the environment as fresh and clean as possible.
“It’s important to educate children about the environment so they can become responsible members of the Cannon AFB community,” said Christopher Mundy, Chavez Child Development Center assistant director.
To celebrate Earth Day, the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron’s environmental flight visited Chavez and Cannon CDC’s to teach children about environmental protection by creating a hummingbird nest with arts and craft materials in a water bottle.
“Early on in their lives, it’s vital for children to learn the importance of key Earth Day values such as recycling, sustainable resources and taking care of the community,” Mundy said. “We were able to incorporate a really fun activity for the children here at the Chavez CDC while learning about the environment. It was a huge success!”
On base, a recycling program exists to help offices keep reusable items out of the landfills, such as books, newspapers, cans and office paper.
“I think we can always improve on recycling here,” said Joaquin Madril, Recycling Center program manager. “The goal will always be to keep municipal recyclable commodities.”
“I think people understand how recycling helps the environment: it’s about helping them act on that knowledge. Help me help you.”
After teaching kids about recycling, the 27th SOCES environmental flight held presentations at the Chavez Housing Office to teach attendants about the importance of animal life around plants and how to keep gardens healthy.
Once these Earth Day events concluded, the final occasion of the week landed on Arbor Day, where the 27th Special Operations Medical Group commander, Col. Christopher Patrick, joined members of the community to plant a tree on base.
Although celebrated close in proximity to each other, Earth Day is different from Arbor Day. The former is a worldwide even where people spread awareness of protecting Earth and its natural habitats, while Arbor Day is an event that encourages people to plant trees.
Those who want to recycle can visit the center at Bldg. 2327 on Thursdays 9-11 a.m. For more information, call the center at 575-904-6045.