GES celebrates Earth Day 2009
04/22/2009
Our Exton, PA office, represented GES for Earth Day festivities at a high school Envirothon. Greg and Holly helped with the logistics and scoring of the environmental competition that involved conducting some fundamental environmental activities and answering questions. Connie Johnson, Holly Smoker, and Ray Yankowski volunteered at Marsh Creek State Park. They edged, weeded, and mulched the flower beds around the park ranger office.
The Long Island, NY team, with "Go Green" Max, enjoyed cleaning up the office park and surrounding area. Max cleaned up garbage all over the neighborhood; and he was proud of himself!
The Crofton, MD staff helped a group of kids and their parents remove invasive garlic-mustard plants at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD under the direction of a long-time refuge volunteer and a US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) biologist. This refuge encompasses 12,841 acres and was formerly a military training area. The USFWS staff said that this process is ongoing, and it requires many volunteers year-round to help curb the invasive plants.
The Altoona, PA office teamed up with their local lab (Fairway Laboratories, Inc.) to clean up a section of 9th Avenue in the spirit of Earth Day.
The Patterson, NY group cleaned the litter around their office park and along part of the main road leading in. Thirteen employees formed two teams. One team worked on the lower section of the corporate park near the main road, and the other team worked on the upper portion. Afterwards, the weather cooperated, and they were able to enjoy an outdoor barbecue.
New Jersey employees, friends, and family met at the Jersey Shore to clean up Bradley Beach’s ocean front - a beach that the NJ office has officially adopted. In a NJDEP coordinated beach cleanup for Earth Day, the crew picked up an estimated 450 pounds of trash including bottle tops, newspapers, plastic bags, and cigarette filters. While cleaning the beach for two hours, the group enjoyed an offshore breeze, 70-degree weather, and live music.
Stefan Sokol of the Westford, MA office talked to his son’s first grade class about what GES does to help the environment, and what they can do everyday to have a friendly impact on the environment. The students enjoyed dressing up in vests, safety glasses, and hard hats. Max was introduced to the class and each student took him home!
Our Richmond, VA office “adopted” the Blackwell Elementary School, local inner-city school, and recently renovated the school’s flower bed. The existing bed was weeded, new flowers were planted, and fresh mulch was added. The project was a big success and has added a bright floral landscape for the students and teachers at Blackwell Elementary School.
The Syracuse, NY office participated in Earth Day activities. With safety gear on, they collected debris outside their GES office and in front of the plaza where the office is located.