Photo By Rebecca Perron | 180601-N-GM597-092 Portsmouth, Va. (June 1, 2018) During Naval Medical Center...... read more read more
More than 150 Naval Medical Center Portsmouth staff members spent several hours on the morning of June 1 cleaning two miles of shoreline and base perimeter, as well as some internal areas of the base, collecting about four tons of trash and debris. NMCP’s environmental team has facilitated the annual Clean the Base Day on the first Friday in June for more than 20 years, in conjunction with the annual Clean the Bay Day that occurs the first Saturday in June.
NMCP’s First Class Petty Officer Association teamed up with NMCP’s environmental manager to coordinate the effort. The base was divided into 10 zones with the first class petty officers acting as zone captains who were responsible for recruiting volunteers to help in their zone and then leading the cleanup.
“This event is important because it helps keep our waterways clean and the Elizabeth River trash-free,” said Lanette Donegan, NMCP’s environmental manager. “We want to take good care of the environment and be good stewards of the environment and show the community that we care. Through this very successful endeavor, we build leaders and plant the seeds of environmental awareness and volunteering.”
One of the staff members who wanted to give back to NMCP and the community was Ship’s Serviceman 2nd Class James Thomas, a member of NMCP’s Materials Management Department. He said he was finding a lot of plastic along the shore, including plastic bottles, and wooden boards.
Hospitalman Lifrage Lesane, a behavioral health technician in the Inpatient Psychiatric Ward, had a similar experience.
“I’ve only been here three months, and I want to involve myself more in the command,” Lesane said. “This is a great way. I’m finding a lot of plastic bottles and Styrofoam.”
During NMCP’s event, the volunteers concentrated the clean up along the boundary of the base where trash collects. NMCP’s shoreline along the Elizabeth River collects trash throughout the year as the current of the river traps trash between the rocks.
Throughout the cleanup, participants were encouraged to look for a “most unique item” in an unofficial competition. Some of the unique items found included doormats, safety helmets, swim noodles, buoys, a basketball and basketball hoop, trailer hitch and a sign attached to concrete. One team even found a note in a bottle that was dated May 13, 2018. The note included a happy Mother’s Day and happy birthday message to a woman on behalf of her late son.
As teams bagged smaller trash items and piled up larger ones, Professional Contract Services, Inc. employees and environmental staff collected the piles of trash in pickup trucks, making about 40 rounds around the base and taking more than 20 loads to a dumpster.
“We have some of the most professional Sailors in the Navy at NMCP,” Donegan said of the cleanup efforts. “I am proud to work here. Our staff cares about the environment and about making ‘green’ decisions that are part of our everyday operations.”
Donegan said that many of the staff who participated in Clean the Base Day commented that they were surprised at how much trash was there. She also said that many staff reported they were participating in the Clean the Bay Day as well at locations throughout Hampton Roads.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2018 10:11 |
| Story ID: | 279801 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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