Base members educate students about Earth Day Published April 21, 2015 By Staff Reports Sheppard Air Force Base Environmental Department staff SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- For the fourth year in a row, the Sheppard Air Force Base Environmental Department staff participated with the Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service Earth Day in an event called Generation Green. Generation Green is an educational event where third graders from the surrounding elementary schools take a field trip to the Wichita Falls MPEC convention center to learn about recycling, wildlife, plants, the effects of pollution, and ways to make the earth a better place to live. Leslie Peña, the Natural Resource Manager for the base and Stephanie Duke, the Storm Water Technician for the base, gave this year's Generation Green presentation April 2, 2015. Peña gave a short presentation on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and stressed the importance of why recycling plastics and other products is important to the environment. She demonstrated the dangers of trash in the waters/oceans and how wildlife is affected. She also talked about other uses of recycled products, such as taking plastic bottles or aluminum cans and making clothes or other usable products from them such as home building materials. Peña stressed everyone can do their part to recycle products no matter their age. If recycling is not an option, then they should do their part and dispose of their trash in the designated containers. Everything has a place. The Sheppard Air Force Base Environmental Department staff was able to provide recycled pencils made from tires and recycling-themed stickers to the approximately 300 students who attended the event.