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Demonstration, Education
& Outreach
Callery Chemical Company, Division of
Mine Safety Appliances Company
Mine Safety Appliances' Earth Day Festival:
A Tradition Worth Celebrating
Over the past six years, Earth Day festivities
sponsored by Callery Chemical Company, a Division of Mine Safety
Appliances Company (MSA), have become a local tradition. Aside from
providing a fun festival and family event for area residents, the
MSA-sponsored Earth Day festivals are having a lasting effect on
the Breakneck Creek watershed.
MSA organizes a committee that plans Earth Day festivals
and reinforces the importance of watershed protection. Held every
April near the Evans City plant in Butler County, the festival features
educational exhibits sponsored by area high schools, local emergency
response groups, environmental awareness groups, DEP and the Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission.
Approximately 1,000 adults and children attended the
2001 festival and got their hands wet stocking the Breakneck Creek
with fingerling fish. Educators and environmental professionals
used exhibits to teach attendees about the watershed and its value
to the community. The festival also featured a "Clean Watershed
- Clean Water" poster contest to educate local elementary school
students about water quality issues.
MSA's committee also developed a detailed map of the
watershed supporting Breakneck Creek, which is displayed at the
festival and provided to the local high school for use in groundwater
protection classes. The map is a creative tool to illustrate the
size and geography of the watershed, as well as demonstrate how
the community impacts the watershed and the wildlife that depend
on it.
Being the single largest water user in the Evans City
area, MSA understands the importance of water conservation. When
the region was faced with a water shortage, MSA educated its associates
with pamphlets and brochures to ensure that employees were taking
water conservation measures in the workplace. MSA associates also
worked with the local water authority to raise conservation awareness
among residents and the community.
"Businesses need to understand
the local watershed in order to act as its steward. Our Earth Day
celebration has introduced Callery Chemical to the Breakneck Creek
watershed
and allowed us to make business decisions in ways
that preserve its quality."
Brett R. Bosley
General Manager
Callery Chemical Company
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