REI Volunteers Make a Difference on Coastal Clean Up Day
On September 15, 2001, Ricoh Electronics, Inc. (REI)'s community service team, HOPE (Helping Others & Protecting Our Environment) celebrated another success when over 200 volunteers from REI, including employees, friends and family members, picked up debris at Santiago Creek in Santiago Park in Santa Ana. They worked with other volunteers of REI-Recreational Equipment, Inc., Santiago Park Homeowners Association, Boy Scouts of America, and the Santiago Creek Greenway Alliance. Trails4All, a nonprofit group that assists in coordinating volunteer trail projects, hosted the event.
The result was the removal of 800 pounds of garbage, 700 pounds of cans and bottles, and 25 tons of concrete. All of this will help purify the water in Santiago Creek as well as attract increased wildlife. The volunteers also improved the overall appearance of the creek. REI decided to work proactively to clean our shores by picking up waste from a creekbed before it reached the ocean.
This project was done to honor International Coastal Clean Up Day, which falls on the third Saturday in September. This movement started in 1986 when the Center for Marine Conservation, now known as the Ocean Conservancy, sponsored its first coastal clean up along the Texas shoreline. Participation now includes volunteers from Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Greece, Japan and Guam -- just to name a few.
The HOPE team was recognized for coordinating this project for REI. The week before the event, Santa Ana City Council members granted the team with a certificate of appreciation.
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