FAIRMONT TRASH TALK - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts of the Golden State

Over 700 colleagues of California Fairmont Hotels & Resorts accompanied by friends, family members and recruits scoured the state’s inland waterways and beaches for litter on Saturday, September 22, 2014, as part of the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Working with the Coastal Commission Fairmont led five drop-in cleanup sites (Newport Beach, Santa Monica, San Jose, San Francisco and Sonoma) across the state where volunteers hauled off everything from plastic backyard pools to artificial Christmas trees.

Hardworking Fairmont volunteers picked up 6,487 pounds of trash and recyclables; lending strength and stability to the Coastal Cleanup Day Program. Committed sustainability stewards from hotels across the state provided promotional support and committed volunteers, which allowed Coastal Cleanup Day to gain tremendous momentum.
Across the state, with 75 percent of the cleanup sites reporting as of Saturday afternoon, 54,124 volunteers picked up 576,571 pounds of trash and an additional 109,494 pounds of recyclable materials, shares California Coastal Commission officials.

“California Coastal Cleanup Day is the state’s largest volunteer event and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts of California is a proud (annual) sponsor of this effort,” says Tom Klein, Regional Vice-President of Operations and General Manager at The Fairmont San Francisco. “Fairmont colleagues in the Golden State clearly again demonstrated their support for clean beaches and waterways by turning out in record numbers. We proudly scoured beaches, shorelines and inland locations, picking up trash and debris. Data from past cleanups tell us that most (between 60‐80 percent) of the debris on our beaches and shorelines come from land‐based sources, traveling through storm drains or creeks out to the beaches and ocean. Over a century ago Fairmont Hotels & Resorts was founded on an enduring connection to the land, communities and people where we do business. Energizing our commitment to 'think globally and act locally', we are proud to support hotel-based environmental initiatives that encourage partnerships and learning while addressing a universal environmental issue in a way that hits close to home.”

Quirky things Fairmont volunteers found from across the state:

Women’s sandals
Pokémon cards
$41.00 (cash)
Artificial Christmas Tree (complete with lights and ornaments)
Backyard Plastic Swimming Pool
School Text Books
4’ Stuffed ET Doll