District employees to celebrate Earth Day

Posted March 31, 2010
By Brittany Brown
Norfolk District Public Affairs

03/30/2010 - NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is poised to host the second annual Earth Day Symposium at the Waterfield Building Wednesday, April 21.

Christy Morton, an energy conservation specialist for Virginia Natural Gas, will be on hand to provide district employees information about "going green" at home. This year's event is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.

Based in Norfolk, Virginia Natural Gas provides natural gas service to more than 264,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Southeastern Virginia. The conservation tips, programmable thermostats, weatherization kits and energySMART initiatives offered by the company align with the Army's Earth Day theme: "Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future."

More than 50 district employees attended last year's symposium, which featured experts from Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse providing information about energy efficiency at home, including lighting options, fireplace dampers and doors, insulation, air filters, weather-stripping and energy efficient appliances. Stephen Decker and Nancy Hankins of Norfolk District's regulatory office also participated in last year's encouraging co-workers to implement eco-friendly office practices such as sharing large electronic files, such as regulations and manuals.

Each year, Earth Day is celebrated throughout the month of April, with traditional observances scheduled April 22.

In spring 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day in response to the lack of legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect the environment such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. In December of the same year, Congress authorized the creation of a new federal agency to tackle environmental issues - the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Shortly thereafter, President Richard Nixon and Congress established the EPA in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air and land.