FORT DRUM, N.Y. Aca,!" Fort Drum will join more than 200 U.S. Army commands, installations and organizations around the world to celebrate the 38th annual Earth Day during a festival 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 at Remington Pond.

Displays, talks and tours will occur during the day with topics such as bird watching in northern New York, historic LeRaysville, counting and identifying fish, discovering wetlands, forest walks, kids crafts projects, worm composting displays and home energy efficiency.

The public is invited to join the Fort Drum community celebrate Earth Day, which will include a special visit of furry friends from the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in Watertown.

This year's Earth Day observation is sponsored by the Fort Drum Public Works Environmental Division; Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes.

Earth Day is a day to celebrate life on Earth and demonstrate our commitment to protect and preserve the Earth and its valuable natural and cultural resources. The U.S. Army has celebrated Earth Day since 1995 and encourages military and civilian personnel, their families and community members to be responsible stewards of our environment.

The theme of this year's U.S. Army Earth Day is "Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future."

How can one person help save the Earth' Fort Drum's Public Works Environmental Division offers these ideas:

- Pay close attention to how you use water. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. See if you can cut just one minute off your shower time and stop leaky faucets. These measures can save hundreds of gallons of fresh water per person each year.

- Leave your car at home. If this isn't possible try carpooling, combine errands or use mass transit.

- Refuse a shopping bag or use a reusable shopping bag. Paper bags are made from trees and plastic bags are made from oil; both processes decrease our natural resources and generate pollution.

- Reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink. When choosing products keep in mind to limit packaging to reduce garbage. Purchase items that are package in recycled materials. Finding ways to reuse items will keep them out of landfills.

- Compost. The average American generates four solid pounds of trash everyday equaling 1,460 pounds of trash per person per year. Composting can not only reduce the amount of trash we put into landfills but it is also a great natural fertilizer. Composting is easier than you think.

- Save electricity. Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last 10 times longer than a standard bulb and use at least two-thirds less energy. Turn off lights and unplug electronic items when not in use. Even that little red light on your DVD player when it is off uses electricity.

- Make Every day Earth Day. Environmental responsibility is not a one-day event. We live on the Earth every day and should think of ways to protect the Earth every single day as well.

Media interested in covering the Earth Day festival should meet at the Fort Drum Media Operations Center on N.Y. State Route 26 at 11 a.m. for escort to the event site. Fort more information, contact the Fort Drum Public Affairs Office at 315-772-8286 or benjamin.abel@us.army.mil.