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Marine Corps Base Hawaii - Throughout the month of April, in celebration of Earth Month, Marine Corps Base Hawaii’s Environmental Compliance and Protection Division (ECPD) hosted various events that service members and base residents participated in while learning environmentally conscious habits. These events represent the installation’s commitment to the sustainability and conservation of natural resources and the environment.
“21 man-hours were devoted by ECPD staff, participating service members, and civilians during Clean Water ‘Ohana, 120 man-hours for Mokapu Central Drainage Canal (MCDC) Clean Up, and hundreds of man-hours for Malama I Ka Aina, a base-wide cleanup,” said Patrick Crile, lead environmental engineer with ECPD.
During Clean Water ‘Ohana, service members and base residents were informed on the adverse effects of stormwater runoff, which can carry harmful pollutants like trash, chemicals, and dirt into streams, oceans, and groundwater. During this event, volunteers installed stormwater placards throughout the installation to help distinguish between storm and sewer drains. MCDC Clean Up volunteers successfully removed invasive mangroves from both MCDC and the Nu’upia Ponds. They also removed eight bags of trash, seven tactical vehicle tires, chairs, pipes, wood, scrap metal, and more from the area. Malama I Ka Aina base-wide cleanups took place across both MCBH and Camp Smith. ECPD staff and service members worked alongside landfill operators to remove 20 privately-owned vehicle tires, 48.8 tons of waste, 7.5 tons of wood and green waste, all disposed of at the base landfill, and 23.5 tons of recyclables, all processed at the base recycling center. There are estimated to be 5 roll-offs, or approximately 200 cubic yards of material that were hauled off site. In addition, 43 landfill passes were issued.
“Military service members played a huge role in the base-wide cleanup,” said Crile. “This was one of our most successful cleanup initiatives in a while and it’s really the units’ participation that made it so successful.”
Other events that took place this month included Nu’upia Ponds Kindergarten Field Trips and a Cultural Sites Bike Tour. Mokapu Elementary School students, led by ECPD staff, teachers, and parent volunteers, hiked through the ponds, identifying native/invasive/endangered species, and participated in an interactive demonstration of stormwater pollution and learned about the importance of recycling. The bike tour joined together 16 participants and ECPD cultural experts in a three-mile bicycle tour of some of MCBH’s most significant and protected cultural sites including the remnants of an ancient Hawaiian village, Pyramid Rock Beach, and the remnants of a historic home.
Hawaii’s unique ecosystems and cultural values make Earth Month particularly significant. The concept of “malama,” which means “to care for” in Hawaiian, emphasizes the deep connection between the people and the land. Earth Month serves as a time to focus on preserving Hawaii’s natural wonders and endangered species, while also promoting sustainable practices for future generations. The events of this month highlighted MCBH’s continuous commitment to the environment and to the community.
“Every month is Earth Month at MCBH!” exclaimed Crile.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2024 20:23 |
| Story ID: | 469805 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, In Nature: Marine Corps Base Hawaii celebrates Earth Month, by Sgt Julian Elliott-Drouin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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