To kick off the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Cmdr. David Latosky, commanding officer of Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Whidbey Island; along with Navy Whidbey Recycle and Forest City Residential, held a ceremony April 5 at Navy Whidbey Recycle.

“The improvements that have been made over the years have been incredible,” said Latosky. “When I joined the Navy, recycling was barely a thought. The regulatory mechanisms that are in place and the education that goes along with it has made all Americans conscious about the environment and in turn has made neighborhoods and the entire country a cleaner place to live.”

In the spring of 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to “force this issue onto the national agenda.” Later that year, Congress authorized the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This agency was the building block that has led to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and other policies that have addressed environmental concerns across the nation.

In 1990, Navy Whidbey Recycle was established at NAS Whidbey Island with a recycling rate of just 4 percent. Since that time it has developed into an award-winning program including a composting facility that processes food, green and bio-solid wastes.

Additionally, the Recycling Center has maintained a recycle rate of 75 percent or greater over the past three years. That means that only 25 percent of what could go into the trash does. That being said, another 75 percent of what goes into the trash now could also be recycled.

Kassie Gale, administrative assistant at the Recycling Office said, “Our recycling rate is great, but it’s easy to see how improvements can be made. When the effort is put forth by everyone here on Whidbey Island, the benefit is twofold; we preserve the environment and help reduce the strain on local budgets.”

Upcoming events over the next few weeks give everyone on board NAS Whidbey Island a hand’s on opportunity in the ongoing recycling effort.

On April 14 there was a “Dumpster Dive” at Navy Recycle. Commands from around the base formed teams and dove into the dumpsters to sort, and properly dispose of recyclable materials that were improperly thrown away.

The main Earth Day event will be held on April 23 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Earth Day Park on the Seaplane base. Volunteers will be canvassing Forest City base housing, cleaning the beach and assisting in the proper removal of large bulky items.

Forest City Residential is a partner of NAS Whidbey Island and is responsible for the management of family housing. Residents from Navy family housing neighborhoods can drop off bulky items during the main event, but pre-registration is required. Call Forest City at 360-679-4241 for information.

It’s cliché, but very true — Earth Day is every day and now is the time for all organizations both small and large to contribute in the world wide effort to secure a brighter, greener future. In our community, across our nation, and around the world, we are “Partnering for a Green Future.”

For information call Navy Whidbey Recycle at 257-5481.