Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest's Environmental Business Line held a Harbor Cleanup Day April 27 to celebrate Earth Day in San Diego.

"This event exemplifies the Navy's role in stewardship of the environment and our partnership with the community," said Capt. Tim Liberatore, NAVFAC Southwest executive officer, at the Navy's Southwest Harbor Cleanup kickoff. "We value these objectives, and it's great to see so many people here supporting the cleanup today."

Approximately 40 people from NAVFAC Southwest and Navy Region Southwest (NRSW) participated in the event. The volunteers collected 31 bags of trash with approximately 80 pounds of debris. Feedback from those who participated was very positive.

"A lot of people worked very hard to put this event together, and it was a great turnout," said NAVFAC Southwest Environmental Business Line Leader Kathryn Stewart. "We were stopped on the street many times by community members and tourists thanking us for our efforts."

A woman from France took pictures of the cleanup crew and stated that she would like to start a similar effort in her home country.

Buckets and gloves were provided by I Love a Clean San Diego, and pickers, brooms, dust pans, and bags were provided by NRSW.

"The Earth Day Cleanup event not only helped clean San Diego, it provided volunteers experience and offered them the opportunity to learn about various issues affecting our environment and community," said Oscar Tovar, NAVFAC Southwest Finance Management accountant.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22, on which various events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. Numerous communities also celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues that the world faces.



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