DoD Installations Lead Charge in Collecting Nearly 22,500 Pounds of Trash from Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Photo By Jeffrey C Doepp | 220831-N-HC520-004 NORFOLK, VA (Aug. 31, 2022) U.S. Navy Sailors and civilians from various Department of Defense installations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, took part in clean-up events held annually during the months of March through June in support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Clean the Bay Day activities. (U.S. Navy photo collage by Jeffrey C. Doepp/Released)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

09.01.2022

Courtesy Story

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic

By Angela S. Jones, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic Environmental Business Line

NORFOLK, VA – Every year, volunteers from Department of Defense (DoD) installations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed participate in environmental stewardship events focused on trash and debris clean up, stormwater education and outreach, and tree planting. While these events take place throughout the year, clean up events at DoD installations occurring between the months of March and June are held in parallel with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Clean the Bay Day.

“Clean the Bay Day and similar military clean up events model how cooperation between DoD installations, local communities, and corporations can have a positive impact on our shared coastal resources, which supports environmental stewardship initiatives of the DoD Chesapeake Bay Program,” said Jessica Rodriquez, a DoD Chesapeake Bay Program coordinator at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic (NAVFAC MIDLANT). “While the original focus of Clean the Bay Day was in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, DoD installations in surrounding Chesapeake Bay states have joined in to expand the positive impact of these clean up events.”

For many years, service members taking part in Clean the Bay Day have made a significant contribution to cleaner rivers and streams, and a healthier Chesapeake Bay. In 2022, more than 1,000 DoD volunteers at 27 military installations cleaned up nearly 22,500 pounds of trash.

“We’re grateful to our DoD partners for their dedication to making our communities a better place for all,” said CBF Hampton Roads Director Christy Everett. “DoD installations accounted for almost 30 percent of all removed materials reported to the foundation in 2022.”

During these events, groups join together for a common cause – promoting clean water – while also meeting the mission of the DoD Chesapeake Bay Program. In the process of removing trash from our coastal ecosystems, spring clean up events also immerse participants and educate them about environmental challenges in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, such as habitat degradation and stormwater pollution.

“The breadth and extent of DoD spring clean up efforts demonstrate its strong leadership and commitment to Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration,” said Kevin Du Bois, a DoD Chesapeake Bay Program coordinator at NAVFAC MIDLANT. “Fostering teamwork among military personnel, DoD employees, citizens, and their families, the DoD expanded the foundation’s traditional Clean the Bay Day activities to encourage a strong stewardship ethic at installations and defense communities in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.”

Through large-scale cooperation and outreach, clean up events turn enthusiastic volunteers into engaged environmental stewards.

Since 1983, the Chesapeake Bay Program has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Program partners include: federal and state agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and academic institutions. Staff members work at offices based in Annapolis, Maryland, and at partner organizations throughout the watershed.

NAVFAC MIDLANT provides facilities engineering, public works and environmental products and services across an area of responsibility that spans from South Carolina to Maine, and as far west as Michigan, and down to Indiana. As an integral member of the Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic team, NAVFAC MIDLANT provides leadership through the Regional Engineer organization to ensure the region’s facilities and infrastructure are managed efficiently and effectively.

For additional information about NAVFAC MIDLANT on social media, follow our activities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/navfacmidatlantic and on Instagram @navfacmidatlantic.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2022
• Date Posted: 09.01.2022 16:20
• Story ID: 428537
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US