Celebrating Earth Day at Marvin Gaye Park

Volunteers from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) joined today with Washington Parks & People and the DC Green Corps for the division’s ninth annual Earth Day Service Celebration at Marvin Gaye Park in Northeast Washington, D.C.     Graduates of the DC Green Corps urban forestry job training program, an organization that advocates for environmental justice and sustainable native reforestation, worked alongside ENRD volunteers to plant trees at a nearby public housing complex and on a hillside in the stream valley.  The trees planted by volunteers will provide shade for residents and more storm water capture for the stream valley.  Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West and Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division Ignacia S. Moreno opened the day with remarks for the roughly 100 volunteers in attendance. Welcoming the volunteers, Tony West said:

  “As a nation, we have taken great strides since the first Earth Day more than 40 years ago, from the landmark environmental legislation of the 1970s to recent efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions. The story of Marvin Gaye Park’s renewal is an inspiration.”

 In her remarks, Assistant Attorney General Moreno said:

 “Today, on the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we remember the 11 lives that were tragically lost.  We also are reminded that our natural resources are precious and that we must continue to protect these resources and the communities across the nation who rely on them for their livelihood.”

The Community Greening Center in Marvin Gaye Park is a neighborhood-based nursery for plants and trees as well as an environmental education resource center.  Last year, ENRD volunteers broke ground on the greening center with Washington Parks & People and DC Green Corps volunteers.    For more information about Washington Parks & People and Marvin Gaye Park, visit http://www.washingtonparks.net/. View a photo gallery of the 2012 Earth Day Service Celebration at Marvin Gaye Park.