The late John Muir, known also as the "Father of the National Parks" once said, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." Even the smallest action can greatly affect the Earth and it is up to those living in the world to protect it. So in honor of Mother Nature, as well as to bring education and celebration for the environment to our workforce, Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY)  Environmental Division (Code 106) held the fourth annual Earth Day Celebration Apr. 18.

Code 106 Environmental Engineer Nicole Iutzi-Kubista and her team began planning for the event in October 2018, reaching out to various organizations in the Hampton Roads community. More than 20 community organizations came out to the shipyard to provide educational sessions including tips on gardening, recycling, energy and water reduction, and more.

"Bringing together various environmental groups from the Hampton Roads region provides an opportunity for the workforce to engage in conversation about ways to be involved with sustainability efforts," said Iutzi-Kubista. "It is a great way to provide opportunities for people to get involved in the community while learning how small changes can make a big impact. There are so many ways to get involved or ways to incorporate environmentally sustainable actions into everyday life."

The celebration included various booths for employees to interact with subject-matter experts within the community on ways to protect the environment, the Earth, and its creatures. Code 106 also continued its tradition of giving tree saplings to employees who sign environmental pledges along with providing indoor plants to office personnel. The Naval Civilian Managers Association and the NNSY Superintendents Association donate towards purchases for 1,000 trees and 200 spider plants, all of which were given out at the event.

"Each year we try to expand the event and think of new ways to engage with the workforce on such important topics," said Iutzi-Kubista. "This year was a huge success and we had so many attendees joining us to learn more about what they can do to be more environmentally friendly. You know, every little bit helps so being able to share this information with our shipyard family and seeing them take those lessons back to the office or to their worksite, and even back home, shows that events like this celebration are important. We challenge everyone to try to incorporate environmentally friendly actions and items into your everyday life, including at work, and overtime a major difference can be made. Even the smallest action can help make a difference. Make a choice, think green! Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success and we look forward to what’s next!"

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