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Photo by Michael Norris
Robert Franklin and Liza Teixeira (right) of the Army Corps of Engineers talk with DPW’s Gayatri Natarajan and Amy Barton about recycling Monday. |
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Representatives from the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division set up shop inside the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall dining facility lobby Monday at lunchtime for America Recycles Day. While a video offering helpful recycling tips played in the background, a half dozen DPW employees engaged patrons in conversation about recycling, handed out fact sheets and distributed recycling bins, pencils and pencil holders made from recyclable materials and nylon travel wallets emblazoned with the JBM-HH Environmental Division logo.
Francis Douglas, head of the environmental division, said most people are already familiar with the basics of recycling but that it helps to remind them on a regular basis of its importance in terms of conserving resources and energy.
‘‘We want to continue to reinforce the message: recycle, recycle, recycle,” he said. ‘‘The more you recycle the more you divert waste products from landfill. It’s the right thing to do.”
Roy Croom, a DPW environmental specialist, said recycling has become easier in recent years with ‘‘single-stream” collection, meaning municipalities and installations like JBM-HH collect recyclable material in bulk and then separate paper, glass, aluminum and other materials at recycling stations.
DPW was arranging a field trip for its employees to visit the District of Columbia recycling center to see how Washington’s system works.
‘‘Everyone needs to make an individual contribution to make a difference,” said Capt. A. Avery Austin, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison, when he stopped by the recycling table. ‘‘We’re a world superpower. We should lead the way.”
Austin said he is conscientious about turning out lights when they’re not in use. He added that his environmental consciousness was instilled in part by his Family. He said his father built a house several years ago that was designed to take advantage of passive solar energy, set up so the arc of the sun would help heat the home.
‘‘I’m a big pro-recycling person,” said Liza Teixeira, an Army Corps of Engineers environmental engineer working in Arlington National Cemetery, stopping by the recycling table. ‘‘It was reinforced by my Family. I lived in a number of third world countries growing up where recycling was a necessity.
‘‘It’s good for the county — something we need to do,” said Seaman Don Villavicencio, who walked away with a complimentary wallet after chatting with volunteers.
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