For Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Legacy Management (LM), environmental stewardship is a continuous commitment. From monitoring groundwater and protecting natural habitats, to meeting with tribal experts or furthering educational programming for local students, the office’s mission to preserve and protect human health and the environment is never a one-day affair.
At the Atomic Legacy Cabin, Earth Day materials are distributed for visitors, encouraging them to help preserve energy by turning lights off at home.
This Earth Day, Senior Advisor to DOE EJ Program Manager Denise Freeman and Public Participation Specialist Shawn Montgomery are demonstrating how the office’s work propels environmental progress by pairing scientific exactitude with stakeholder expertise.
“Our day-to-day work is like a year-round celebration of Earth Day,” Freeman said. “On a global level, it aims to bring awareness to environmental threats like pollutants – and on a local site level, we’re mitigating the risks of those pollutants every day.”
The theme of Earth Day 2022, Invest in Our Planet, includes a call to action which echoes LM’s purpose almost verbatim: “We must preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods.”
For Freeman and Montgomery, the LM mission starts with environmental monitoring, but that work is driven by the interests and concerns of the people closest to its on-the-ground efforts. Montgomery routinely meets with representatives on sites across the country. He points to his work with tribal communities in the Southwest, who have taught him that caring for one’s community is inextricably linked to caring for the Earth.
“Every interaction I have had with our tribal partners has afforded me the ability to learn so much about their histories and cultures,” Montgomery said. “The events we host and take part in on Earth Day are informed by the takeaways we have with tribal and non-tribal stakeholders – what's important to them, the environmental concerns of the area, and what education or resources they find important for the community.”
What Montgomery has learned is that for tribal communities, sustainable living isn’t an afterthought: it is their default thinking. Minimizing water waste, creating hospitable environments for local species, protecting against erosion, and preventing against contamination have been top-of-mind priorities for many such communities for thousands of years. As these time-honored principles become more mainstream in America, Montgomery is hopeful the lessons take hold.
“Being a non-Native, I recognize that it is my job to listen and learn when I have the opportunity to interact with our tribal partners,” Montgomery says. “It’s critical that we continue to improve our communications with our tribal partners and never take those relationships for granted.”
Many of this year’s Earth Day celebrations weave environmental priorities in with artistic and cultural endeavors. Freeman, Montgomery, and their colleagues coordinated with local organizations to offer specialized programming to communities across the nation, including those in and around LM’s sites.
The Office of Sustainable Environmental Stewardship under the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) led celebrations at DOE Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The programs included a photo and haiku contest, an art contest hosted for students within D.C. public schools, and take-home bingo-style cards for families, which offered tips to lead sustainable lifestyles.
This Earth Day – and every day – LM continues in its efforts to preserve land for generations to come.
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