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Courtesy of 86th Civil Engineer Squadron
Every year Earth Day campaigners call for events with an annual theme. In the U.S., the 2019 Earth Day theme is “Protect our species.”
The millions of species that we know and love and many more that we still have not discovered are nature’s gift to the planet. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably altered the balance of nature, and the world is now facing a mass extinction of species. It is the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs 60 million years ago. Scientists are warning us that thousands of species may become extinct this year alone. But unlike the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world is the result of human development. There are many causes to this horrific prediction: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, unsustainable agriculture, plastics, and pesticides just to name a few. If we do not act now, extinction may be our most enduring legacy.
Earth Day 2019 is dedicated to providing information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and our actions which endanger millions of species.
How does the KMC officially celebrate Earth Day 2019?
The most common practice is to plant new trees, which is also the biggest event being held on Ramstein Air Base. This year, about 80 students and teachers will participate to plant approximately 800 trees. This is Ramstein’s contribution towards a goal to plant 7.8 billion trees — one for every person on the planet — until Earth Day 2020, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day celebration. (Tree planting event with elementary school students: Monday, April 29, 9 to 11 a.m., golf course area on Ramstein and tree planting ceremony with 86th AW, 86th CEG Leadership and German Forest Departments: Friday, April 26, noon to 1 p.m., at Bldg. 2204)
Protect our species — Happy Earth Day!
