Earth Day 2015 Published April 17, 2015 By 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- As the nation celebrates the 45th annual Earth Day this April 22, the Air Force is re-emphasizing its standing commitment to environmental stewardship and encouraging its military and civilian workforce to promote recycling both at home and on the job, and asking them to leverage available opportunities to "Conserve Today - Secure Tomorrow." "We've seen some dynamic change in the last four and a half decades since the first Earth Day," Said Col. Mark Ramsey, 42nd Air Base Wing vice commander. "Stewardship was a term usually associated with money, manpower and equipment. Now it has come to include, among other things, the environment. The Wing Commander and other leaders across the installation are engaged in our environmental impact from how much water and electricity we consume, to actively tracking our solid waste. How much is recycled? How much goes into landfills? How can we do better? Ultimately, conserving and protecting our natural resources is a strategic issue for our nation." Installations across the enterprise are taking action to meet the Department of Defense's strategic sustainability performance plan goal of diverting 55 percent of non-hazardous solid waste, and 100 percent of electronics waste, this fiscal year and beyond. "This is the highest diversion goal in the history of Air Force diversion efforts," said Nancy Carper, subject matter expert on integrated solid waste management at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. Meeting these goals requires diligence and participation from everyone, from the recycling center manager looking for new ways to expand services, to office workers taking advantage of all available opportunities to recycle and not throwing out items like paper, plastic, aluminum cans and cardboard, Carper said. Keeping abreast of recycling trends and opportunities helped the recycling program at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, "increase recycling volume from 450,000 pounds annually 14 years ago to almost five million pounds annually today," said Jesse Salinas, qualified recycling program manager there. "Recycling on Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base is encouraged for all personnel living and working on base," said Carrie Kennington, 42nd Civil Engineer Squadron environmental technician. "Recycling trailers are available for personnel to drop off their items and are located in the parking lot by the Maxwell Commissary and behind the Army and Air Force Exchange Service station at Gunter. Green waste is composted at the Grounds Facility on Maxwell and utilized on base. It is also free for anyone with access to the Base." In an age of growing technology, the need for effective electronics recycling has garnered national attention. While all Air Force-owned electronic equipment is required to be recycled through Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, the Air Force is encouraging its workforce to take proactive steps to keep home electronics out of the waste stream and is encouraging individuals to take advantage of the U.S. Postal Service's Blue Earth Federal Recycling Program. Established in 2013, the program makes it easier for individuals to recycle personally owned ink cartridges and unwanted electronic devices free of charge using the postal network. Air Force and other federal employees can send eligible electronics items through the mail to a certified recycler at no cost. Upon receipt, data are wiped from the devices to ensure privacy and information protection. This year, the Air Force is once again asking Airmen and their families to logon to the "Blue Acts of Green" Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blueactsofgreen to share recycling and other environmentally-friendly practices they commit to perform everyday as well as learn what other families are doing across the country to protect one of Earth's most precious natural resources. For more information on the Air Force's Earth Day efforts, visit http://www.afcec.af.mil/news/earthday