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NEWS | April 21, 2017

JBA members lend a hand for Earth Week

By Senior Airman Mariah Haddenham 11th Wing Public Affairs

Base members participated in several events in celebration of Earth Week and Arbor Day at Joint Base Andrews, Md., April 17 through April 22, 2017.

The week-long observance included a tree-planting ceremony, base clean-up, seed-planting, and more.

“Earth Week is extremely important and I think we must impress that upon our Airmen,” said Tech Sgt. Cordarrell Hammond, 11th Contracting Squadron contracting specialist. “It is my hope that we extend these efforts beyond the seven days and take it upon ourselves personally to recycle and dispose of things properly, in an effort to take care of the only Earth we have.”

Col. E. John Teichert, 11th Wing and JBA commander, received awards from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the bases contributions to tree services at JBA. The Tree City USA award was accepted by JBA for the 17th year, and the ‘People Loving And Nurturing Trees’ award was received for the first time.

To be recognized by TCU each year, JBA must spend at least two dollars per capita on tree planting, maintenance, personnel and supplies. The base must also have an arbor plan for deciding where and what species of trees to plant, have an appointed tree board, conduct an annual tree planting, and have an Arbor Day Proclamation.

These programs encourage, support and increase public awareness of the many benefits of urban forestry while providing education to improve current practices.

A day was set aside for a base clean up, where members volunteered to walk the base and pick up any trash found.

“We are fortunate to work on a military installation that resembles a park thanks to the efforts of our personnel,” Teichert said. “Doing the daily things, like picking up trash when you see it, helps us continue to make JBA a wonderful place to work.”