Clean up Alabama coastline

More than 140 Airbus team members and community volunteers recently gathered to clean up around the U.S. Manufacturing Facility, Brookley Aeroplex and Alabama’s coveted coastline.

Airbus served once again as zone captain for Brookley during the 39th annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 19. The cleanup represents Airbus in Mobile’s largest employee volunteer event of the year, as well as Alabama’s largest annual volunteering effort.

The Alabama Coastal Cleanup unites thousands of people across Mobile and Baldwin counties to help protect the state's waterways from trash and debris. Since the initiative began in 1987, more than 115,000 volunteers have removed nearly 1.8 million pounds of debris from local beaches, parks, and streams.

The team in Mobile supports a cleaner Alabama coast

During this year’s event, volunteers collected dozens of bags of trash alongside numerous damaged tires found in and around Brookley.

Among the employee volunteers was Maanyaa Kapur, a Design Integrator in Retrofit at the Airbus Engineering Center in Mobile. Maanya noted the importance of Airbus team members giving back to the community where they live and work.

“I think it’s important that we contribute to keeping our environment clean if you’re present here,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to come out as a community and upkeep our surroundings.”

The team in Mobile supports a cleaner Alabama coast

AOS Change Agent William Bishop, who grew up volunteering in the community with the Boy Scouts, was thrilled to have the opportunity to do his part.

William focused on keeping trash out of Mobile Bay, located just a few hundred yards from the manufacturing facility. The Port of Mobile and Mobile Bay play an essential role in shipping Major Component Assemblies (MCAs) directly to the U.S. Manufacturing Facility.

“It’s always good to give back to the community,” he said.

More community impact

In addition to the hundreds of pounds of trash collected, Team Mobile made a difference for four Mobile Animal Shelter dogs. Brought out by shelter staff to be walked while team members picked up trash, three of the dogs were officially adopted and the fourth was taken home to foster.

To cap off the event, Emeline Harris — the young daughter of site Health and Safety Manager Ashley Martinovich — won a raffle for a brand-new A321neo model aircraft, an especially fitting prize for Girls in Aviation Day.