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2008 NAS Sigonella Earth Day Celebration
Story Number: NNS080519-25
5/19/2008
By Lt. j.g. Matt Knight, Naval Air Station Sigonella Public Affairs
SIGONELLA, Sicily (NNS) -- The 2008 Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella sponsored Earth Day cleanup event jointly participated in by NAS Sigonella volunteers and local Italians was conducted May 17.
The annual cleanup was designed to strengthen the bond between Americans and Italians while making a positive impact on the environment in honor or Earth Day with a road cleanup, immediately followed by a barbeque at the NAS Sigonella Land Annex.
"I think it's great," said Master-at-Arms 1st Class(SW/AW) Derrick Kpodo-klegeson, president of 1st Class Petty Officers Association and an active participant in the cleanup and barbeque. "It builds an alliance between us and the town of Motta. Ultimately, I think it was a success."
The 2008 NAS Sigonella command sponsored Earth Day events were postponed until May to uphold a longstanding partnership and better coordinate with the neighboring town of Motta Sant'Anastasia.
Dr. Antonino Santagati, mayor of Motta Sant'Anastasia noted that the Earth Day cleanup with NAS Sigonella had been going on for 12 years but in the past four years the coordination between the Italians and Americans had really improved the efficiency of the event - turning a five hour cleanup into a half hour.
The event boasted an impressive turnout of volunteers with over 125 people helping with the cleanup effort. Volunteers met at the base of the 4 kilometer road for a group picture and were then broken up into four mixed groups of Americans and Italians. Each group cleaned a 1 kilometer stretch cutting down the time the cleanup took.
After the cleanup, all of the volunteers were treated to barbeque provided by the Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA) at the NAS I Land Annex while NAS Sigonella commanding officer Capt. Thomas J. Quinn presented awards to distinguished volunteers involved in the planning and execution.
Mike Scott, an environmental specialist for the NAS Sigonella Environmental Office and one of the lead planners of the 2008 NAS Sigonella Earth Day mentioned that the event was really a joint collaboration between the Italians and Americans, involving two busses from Motta Sant'Anastasia elementary school and two busses from NAS Sigonella.
Scott noted that the main groups responsible for making the event possible were the NAS Sigonella Environmental Office, Public Works, Caribinieri, Policia Municipal, NASSIG security, the CPOA, First Class Petty Officer Association, NAS Sigonella chaplains and Public Affairs office.
For more news from Naval Air Station Sigonella, visit www.navy.mil/local/nassig/.