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Hygiene Kits: A Holiday Gift for Your Community

avro_hygiene_kit_eventFootball season just started. Kids are back in school. And you finally had your first pumpkin latte of the year. So that means the holidays will be here before you can say “Black Friday.” As you plan your company’s holiday party, consider doing something a little different and including a give-back element with Clean the World’s Hygiene Kit Program.

Along with the eggnog, karaoke, and gift exchange, you and your colleagues can assemble hygiene kits in your office or at a holiday party. Completed packages go to a shelter, food pantry, or other support organization in your local community.

Clean the World provides the hygiene items, zipper bags, instructions on how to assemble the kits, and tips for running a successful event – all for a small administrative fee to cover supplies and shipping expenses. Options include both our standard kit, and a brand new children’s kit with special items for the little ones.

During the cold and flu season, we repeatedly hear how important it is to wash our hands regularly.

Unfortunately, that is easier said than done for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. People who are homeless or going through a financial crisis don’t always have access to soap and other hygiene products. However, your organization can help offer hope and health by building and donating hygiene kits to those who are at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.

For more information on hosting a hygiene kit event at your holiday party – or anytime – please contact us at sales@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com.

AdvoCare ‘Ladies Alive’ Attendees Assemble 32,000 Hygiene Kits for Families in Need

advocareAdvoCare, a premier health and wellness company, recently donated more than 32,000 care packages to 11 women’s and homeless shelters after a series of Clean the World Hygiene Kit events. AdvoCare Independent Distributors assembled the kits in April during the company’s nationwide series of women-led events: Ladies Alive.

“No one should ever go without basic hygiene products. It is a privilege for us to partner with Clean the World and provide these items to people who are struggling to meet their family’s basic needs due to whatever their life circumstances may be,” said Allison Levy, executive vice president and chief legal officer.

Ladies Alive events inspire, encourage and empower women by providing tangible solutions for dealing with stresses related to poor health, a shortage of time and money, or simply a lost passion for life.

“There is a massive need for personal hygiene items among displaced, homeless, and underemployed women in the United States,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and executive director of Clean the World. “It’s an honor to team with AdvoCare on this project. We applaud the company’s commitment to social responsibility and its efforts to help women and families in need.”

More than 19,000 women registered for the events in nine cities: San Diego, Kansas City, Tacoma, Nashville, Columbus, Dallas, Philadelphia, Orlando and Rochester. AdvoCare distributed the kits to local shelters that provide help to victims of domestic violence or families on the verge of becoming homeless:

  • Homeless Families Foundations (Columbus)
  • Operation Breakthrough and Giving the Basics (Kansas City)
  • Nashville Rescue Mission (Nashville)
  • Becky’s House and San Diego Dream Center (San Diego)
  • Tacoma Rescue Mission • Homeless Veterans Service of Dallas (Dallas)
  • Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (Orlando)
  • Families Forward Philadelphia
  • Women’s Shelter, Inc. (Rochester)

Wings of Faith Ministries: Changing Lives With Soap

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Men at the Hope Center can get a shower, clean clothes and a warm meal. Most are homeless on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

Earlier this year, Clean the World provided more than 5,000 recycled soap bars to Wings of Faith Ministries in Tustin, California. The soap was used to support Native Americans connected to the Thoreau Native Outreach, Hope Center, NAOMI House (Native American Outreach Mission), and Tolani Lake Youth Project.

The children at NAOMI House often arrive emotionally and physically traumatized. The staff provides them with basic hygiene and oral hygiene instructions. Soap from Clean the World Foundation not only gave physical relief to the children, but budgetary relief to the facility because they were able to redirect funds that otherwise would have been used to buy hygiene supplies.

At the Hope Center, Clean the World soap helps homeless people who receive a shower, clean clothes, and a warm meal. The staff has noticed an improvement in self-esteem and overall well being when the homeless have an opportunity to get clean, refreshed, and fed. This is a unique opportunity for those who live in a fairly hostile wilderness environment.

Kids at the Tolani Lake Youth Project are encouraged to practice good hygiene habits after sports activities, and they receive hygiene products to take home when supplies allow. Clean the World soap filled a vital need for these young people.

Kenya Program Reduces Illness Among Students

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Students receiving hygiene education and soap.

In March, Clean the World launched our “Soap in Schools” program in Kenya with the support of Starwood Foundation. During the nine-month hygiene education program, we provide soap and hygiene education to more than 4,000 primary school children who live in extreme poverty.

The program started in February with a baseline study of students in 12 schools. We discovered that nearly 70 percent had been sick with a hygiene-related illness in the previous month – and nearly 40 percent missed a week of school or more as a result. After that study, we designed various interventions to implement in elementary and middle school classrooms for the targeted group of students. Teachers and school nurses distribute soap to the children, make sure soap is available at hand washing stations at the schools, and teach proper hand washing skills every few weeks to help kids remember why it is so important.

We conducted the first 90-day assessment at the end of May, and we see considerable progress. There was a 58 percent reduction in hygiene-related illnesses among those 4,000 students – a huge decrease in such a short period! This success is due to the ongoing hand washing education and enforcement, and the constant availability of soap in the schools.

We are thrilled with the outcomes so far. Our next assessment will take place in August, and will share those results with you as soon as we have them. In the meantime, we are about to launch the same Soap in Schools program in Tanzania. Stay tuned for more information on the baseline results and program outcomes.

Laura Schwartz, Clean the World, Asembia, Wynn Las Vegas Team Up for Lifesaving Recycling Program

As an active Clean the World board member, professional speaker Laura Schwartz was especially proud to emcee the Asembia 2016 Specialty Pharmacy Summit at the fabulous Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Wynn has been a Clean the World partner since 2011, with contributing properties in both Las Vegas and Macau.

There were 12,000 Asembia “heads in beds” throughout the conference, resulting in:

  • 2,364 pounds of discarded soap recycled from rooms
  • With the addition of plastic amenity bottles, the program diverted a total of 4,140 pounds of waste from southern Nevada landfills
  • Clean the World will manufacture 12,624 new bars of recycled soap that will benefit at-risk people

“I was so excited to emcee such a prestigious summit for Asembia at the Wynn, which is not only a fabulous venue but a socially responsible one,” Laura said. “You could really see their pride for the partnership as well as their company.”

The top two killers of children worldwide are pneumonia and diarrheal disease. Introducing young children to soap and information about how and when to use it helps exponentially in cognitive development. Clean the World combats this issue with a variety of programs, including cooperative agreements such as this one with Asembia and Wynn.

Laura’s meeting with the Wynn Housekeeping staff during their training was in celebration of this remarkable achievement, as well as many others.

“I was so happy to represent Clean the World while visiting the Wynn Las Vegas housekeeping managers and staff training,” she said. “It was a great way to celebrate the Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit.”

Las Vegas Residents With Intellectual Disabilities Learn Job Skills

Opportunity Village graduation ceremony.

Opportunity Village is a wonderful organization that provides opportunities for people who have intellectual disabilities. It provides a service for these individuals to gain job skills and experience they might otherwise not have the chance to learn. Clean the World Las Vegas is proud to partner with Opportunity Village and the men and women who serve our life-saving mission on a regular basis.

The young adults of Opportunity Village visit our Las Vegas warehouse to help sort bottled amenities. Clean the World Hygiene Kits rely heavily on recycled bottled amenities from hotel partners, and having several helping hands on a daily basis gives us the ability to increase our impact through repurposed hygiene amenities.

This is Clean the World’s third year as an Opportunity Village partner. The program runs like a regular school year, August through June, Monday through Friday. While working in the Clean the World warehouse, Opportunity Village participants learn a variety of skills throughout the workday.

“We teach them the responsibility of having a full-time job. Getting up early every morning, being on time every day, being accountable for the quality of their work, following directions, and how to behave in a professional environment,” says Kevin Williams, Clean the World Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center Manager.

The Clean the World and Opportunity Village partnership is instrumental in giving these young adults independence and allows them to contribute to a meaningful cause. During the program, Clean the World employees work alongside Opportunity Village participants, helping them improve their communication and patience. As a result, towards the end of the program around graduation time, there’s a visible rise in confidence and self-reliance among the workers.

Kevin spends time with the group every day throughout the program. “I can say that nothing I’ve done professionally to this point in my life makes me happier or prouder than the work we do with these kids. All they want is to be treated like adults and respected as such. A simple ‘great job today’ can make their whole week.”

The end of the year graduation ceremony is always a bittersweet experience. Clean the World employees enjoy working alongside these extraordinary individuals and love celebrating their achievements. As Opportunity Village students learn from our organization, our team also learns from them. We are so grateful for the partnership and their hard work. Clean the World looks forward to strengthening this relationship for years to come.

Hotel Room Attendants Have a Personal Connection to the Hygiene Mission

Claudia speaking to room attendants at the Orlando Marriott World Center.
Claudia speaking to room attendants at the Orlando Marriott World Center.

Clean the World often takes the time to visit hotels participating in our recycling program. It is a way to share the mission and empower the room attendants to make a difference in the world in a personal way. Attendants are on the forefront of the Global Hygiene Revolution. They are the ones who take the first step in diverting waste from landfills, the first step to providing someone with life-saving hygiene products. Clean the World’s Donya McSwain and Oscar Gonzalez recently visited Orlando Marriott World Center to inspire the staff. The day held inspiration and motivation for us all.

Donya and Oscar shared the message of how thousands of needless childhood deaths can be prevented with access to soap. They talked about the importance of each housekeeper, and the responsibility they hold in helping these children. Our team spoke to the group in both English and Spanish.

“The message seems to reach their heart in their native language,” Donya said.

On this visit, Donya and Oscar brought along Pastor Julio Brutus, a pioneer for the Clean the World’s mission. Pastor Brutus is the man who made it possible for our planes to land in parts of Haiti that were in dire need after Clean the World launched in 2009. He is a crucial member of the Clean the World family, helping reach thousands of children in Haiti throughout the years.

As the head pastor of the Evangelical Church of Haiti, he interacts with 100,000 members. More one million bars of soap have been distributed in Haiti through Pastor Brutus’ efforts alone.

Pastor Brutus delivered the message of Clean the World to the hotel employees in Haitian Creole, the native language of many staff members. He brought a guest, a young lady named Claudia. “As she was speaking in Haitian Creole, you could hear her stress, the importance of the housekeeping staff saving the soap so others can prosper,” Donya said.

Claudia runs a Medical Clinic in Haiti. She is on the front lines of illness, seeing the struggle every day. “Her message was so moving, she connected with the housekeeping staff, I didn’t know that I would be moved to tears from the response we received,” Donya said.

Housekeepers chimed in on the struggles their families and friends face at home in Haiti. One housekeeper stated that all the people she knows in her country are in need of the soap we provide.

Everything at Clean the World is about how we can positively affect the world around us. Our individual decisions and the actions we take here in our own nation, our own state, our own community have a global impact. Through our actions we can save lives with soap.

Language unites us, but even more important is our belief in helping others, the goal to create happier, healthier lives through our daily actions.

Since 2009, Orlando Marriott World Center has been able to contribute more than 16,000 pounds of discarded soap, allowing us to create 85,995 new bars of recycled soap. What an amazing accomplishment.

There are so many ways you can help your community and the world. To find out how you or your organization can make a difference through Clean the World, please contact us today.

Hilton Sets the Bar for CSR in the Hospitality Industry

travel_with_purpose_logoWith more than 4,600 properties and 758,000 rooms, Hilton Worldwide sets a shining example of corporate social responsibility at a high volume in the hospitality industry.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly important characteristic of corporations all over the world. CSR is the way in which companies recognize their social and environmental impact, and develop initiatives that benefit society. At Hilton, efficiency and sustainability are significant parts of the business model. The company continually works to make improvements and gain knowledge from other corporations with successful CSR reputations.

Simple Upgrades = Big Impact

“Intrapreneurs” are Hilton employees who help find creative solutions to challenges in their communities. Recently, Hilton intrapreneurs teamed up with Whole Foods and swapped energy management teams to achieve a fresh perspective on how to better conserve natural resources. Hilton identified a need for hotel room upgrades such as energy-efficient LED lights, door gasket replacements, and a plan to phase out inefficient room appliances. In the hospitality industry, the second or third largest cost for the average hotel is energy. In making these simple upgrades, Hilton maximizes environmental and financial efficiency.

Partnership with Clean the World is another way Hilton places emphasis on social responsibility. Clean the World has more Hilton affiliates than any other hospitality flag. Through that partnership, a substantial number of Hilton’s 140 million annual guests, take part in our sustainable mission to repurpose the soap and hygiene amenities recycled after each stay. Clean the World has recycled and distributed over 31 million bars of soap with a great amount of support and contribution from Hilton Worldwide its intrapreneurial staff.

The entire guest stay has become more sustainable from the start with the room upgrades, to the end with after-stay amenity collection, diverting waste from landfills. These diverted materials get a second life as new bars of soap for people struggling with hygiene-related illness in developing regions around the globe, and to the homeless and other at-risk groups in North America and Europe.

Travel With Purpose

Travelers are catching onto businesses that maintain sustainable methods in their corporate structure. Travel with Purpose is a Hilton Worldwide campaign designed to assure hotel guests that they are supporting an all-around sustainable brand. Through this campaign, Hilton has set three main goals. The first goal was opportunity, which the company offers by investing in youth opportunities. Hilton has since reached over 400,000 young people through internship programs, career engagement, and life-skills training.

Travel with Purpose also set community and environmental goals. In October of 2015, Hilton employees contributed 213,000 volunteer hours in 4,145 different volunteer project for their Month of Service. Their environmental goals led to reductions in energy by 14.5 percent, carbon output by 20.9 percent, waste output by 27.6 percent, and water use by 14.1 percent partly through the Clean the World program.

In celebration of Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15, 2015, Hilton Paris Opera became the first Clean the World hotel partner in continental Europe. Discarded soap and bottled amenities from Hilton Paris Opera will be recycled to benefit European citizens who are at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.

Hilton is the first hospitality company to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy’s Superior Energy Performance Certification. Its commitment to CSR makes Hilton Worldwide a recognized leader throughout the hospitality industry.

As Hilton grows in its CSR goals, the rest of the hospitality industry begins to follow. When a prestigious brand such as Hilton sets the bar high, other brands have to make changes to keep up. And that’s how the hospitality industry transforms into a more sustainable industry for travel and leisure.

Honeywell Employees Assemble 2,000 Hygiene Kits for Homeless Kids

Honeywell employees at a recent conference in Scottsdale, Arizona took a CSR break and assembled 2,000 hygiene kits for homeless kids in the Phoenix area. The kits went to the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, which helps young people between the ages of 12 and 25 who are homeless or escaping from abusive situations.

Tumbleweed chief communications officer Ken Lynch spoke to the Honeywell team. In his moving talk, Ken described how the youth arrive on site desperate for a meal and a chance to shower and get clean. Only then do they begin feel relaxed, safe, and cared for.

Big thanks to the folks at Honeywell for supporting a great organization. If you want to schedule a similar event for your next company meeting or conference, please fill out this brief form and a Clean the World representative will contact you with more information.

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Program Studies Effect of Hand-Washing Education Among At-Risk Children in Kenya

We keep our kids home from school if they have a fever, an upset stomach, or the flu. Sometimes we even declare it a sick day if the tyke has the sniffles or a little cough.

Why?

There are a variety of reasons, but near the top of the list is the idea that we don’t want it to get any worse. Intuitively, most parents know a child is better off resting at home for a day or two than having something like a simple upper respiratory infection turn into pneumonia. Because if that common cold becomes something worse, then it might mean a week or more at home on the couch instead of in the classroom. An occasional sick day is far better than being out for an extended period.

But what if those “minor illnesses” weren’t occasional? What if your daughter or son was on an illness roller coaster with viral and bacterial infections coming and going on a regular basis? That down time can be a major hindrance to educational success.

Those excessive sick days are a problem in many developing countries, including Kenya. According to a report from Susan T. Njau of Kenya’s Ministry of Education, hygiene-related illnesses affect education in the country at a staggering rate. One-quarter of Kenyan student absenteeism is due to abdominal pains, which are likely a result of intestinal helminths infections. Also, older children may miss school to look after siblings sick with helminths infections.

At Clean the World, we know long-term solutions require improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in at-risk communities. That’s why we recently launched a year-long pilot program in Kenya that will serve as a model as we roll out to other locations around the world.

Soap in Schools

Soap distribution in Kibera
Soap distribution during a previous trip to Kibera.

To implement the inaugural Soap in Schools program, Clean the World teamed up with Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD). We have a history of cooperative soap distribution with HHRD, having worked with them in Pakistan, Tanzania, and Somalia.

In this new program, we take things to the next level by providing soap and hygiene education to more than 4,000 children in 12 communities in central and northern Kenya. Together, we will measure the effect of ongoing hand-washing education and soap supplies on two specific indicators:

  • The incidence of hygiene-related illnesses, specifically diarrheal disease and pneumonia
  • School attendance, which we hope will increase as children get healthier

Right now we are conducting a baseline study in these Kenyan communities to determine how often children in the study group get sick and how much school they miss due to illness. After completing the baseline study, we will work with HHRD to provide the students with soap and continuing hand-washing education. Then we will conduct the same survey with the same group of kids every 90 days for the rest of the year to see if illness decreases and school attendance increases.

Intervention Evaluation

One of the great things about a study of this magnitude is that it allows us to test a few types of intervention. With 4,000+ students across a dozen or more communities, we can experiment with age groups, the frequency of hygiene education, and time of day to see what combination is most effective.

Is it more beneficial to spend 30 minutes twice a week with a group of kindergartners, or an hour once a week?

We don’t know yet. But by the time we finish collecting data and crunching numbers in early 2017, we will have the answer for you.

The Kenya program will also give us some insight into whether or not hand-washing education is more effective in urban areas vs. rural communities. About half our study locations are in Kibera, which is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa. Despite extreme poverty, poor sanitation, and confined spaces, residents of Kibera benefit from their location in some ways because they have access to clinics and other public services.

The other evaluation groups will be in rural areas where some of the residents are pastoralists and tend to be more tribal. While they may not have access to many of the services available in cities, they have a higher quality of life and live in less extreme conditions.

Although our first Soap in Schools program in Kenya will run for nearly a full year, you won’t have to wait that long to find out how things are going. We will provide frequent updates here on this blog and in our newsletter. Be sure to subscribe now if you don’t already receive the newsletter.

Guest Supply: An Invaluable Partner and Model of Corporate Social Responsibility

guest_supply_logoSomething we realized early on at Clean the World is that there was no book out there explaining exactly how to operate a social enterprise focused on international soap recycling and hygiene education. We discovered a lot of things by trial and error. And one of the things we learned early on was the importance of forming great partnerships.

Such as our affiliation with Guest Supply.

Since shortly after we founded Clean the World in 2009, Guest Supply has supported our mission with generous assistance across every area of the organization:

  • Much-needed recovery and distribution logistics for discarded soap and shampoo products from many worldwide lodging partners
  • Donating surplus soap from Guest Supply manufacturing facilities
  • Manufacturing consulting and expertise
  • Sales and marketing support
  • Supplies for hygiene kits

And there is a multiplier effect as Guest Supply offers those same services to bolster our expansion in Asia and Europe.

This ongoing assistance from Guest Supply is a testament to its commitment to corporate social responsibility. President Paul Xenis and his team play integral roles in Clean the World’s quest to eliminate needless hygiene-related deaths. Since we founded Clean the World in 2009, hygiene-related deaths among children under the age of 5 have decreased 30 percent, from an average of 9,000 a day to less than 6,000, a day.

That would not have happened without the combination of in-kind and operational donations we receive from Guest Supply. This year we are creating new programs to improve hygiene, reduce illness, and increase school attendance in developing regions. Support from Guest Supply allows us to focus more of our resources on that effort.

Thanks, Guest Supply!

Marriott Contributions Add Up to 1.5 Million Bars of Soap for the Global Hygiene Revolution

Marriott’s Spirit to Serve 2014 in Orlando.


Just two years after Marriott International became an official Clean the World partner in 2012, the hospitality company has achieved a major recycling milestone. The total amount of soap contributed by Marriott hotels is enough for us to manufacture 1.5 million bars of recycled soap.

Marriott has a comprehensive set of initiatives and practices in place to drive down operational costs as well as reduce energy use, water consumption and waste. To help mitigate environmental impact, the company is investing in a portfolio of innovative conservation initiatives as part of its “Spirit to Preserve” environmental strategy.

Nearly 63,000 Marriott rooms are involved in our recycling program. The properties have contributed more than 271,000 pounds of soap – which is enough to create 1.5 million bars of recycled soap. Marriott has contributed 175,000 pounds of bottled amenities for use in ONE Project hygiene kits.

In June, Clean the World had the honor of participating in Marriott’s Spirit to Serve during the company’s 31st Annual Association Masters Conference at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando. Attendees assembled 2,000 hygiene kits for homeless families in Central Florida. This was the second consecutive year that the Association Masters event included a ONE Project volunteer opportunity.

Marriott is a valuable partner that contributes to Clean the World’s mission on many levels. We appreciate their commitment to the Global Hygiene Revolution, and look forward to collaborating to reaching the next milestone!

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90,000 New Bars of Soap Manufactured Thanks to Schahet Hotels

Clean the World Partner Relations Director Oscar Gonzalez visits our hotel partners whenever possible to thank them personally for their contribution to the Global Hygiene Revolution. We love spending time with housekeepers, because they are on the front lines every day and deserve the recognition.

Oscar recently had the pleasure of visiting all the Schahet Hotel properties in Indianapolis. Back in 2010, Schahet Hotels was one of the first Management Companies to adopt our recycling program across all their hotels.

During Oscar’s recent visit, Schahet team members from all departments built a total of 1,200 ONE Project hygiene kits for homeless shelters in the Indianapolis area. While he was in town, Oscar spoke at the Schahet GM conference and shared the inspirational message of how their discarded soap saves lives.

Since 2010, Schahet hotels have contributed enough discarded soap for Clean the World to manufacture nearly 90,000 newly recycled bars. Here is a look at the number of recycled bars manufactured from the waste at each property:
• Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Airport: 34,233 new bars
• Hampton Inn Indianapolis – Downtown: 18,858 new bars
• Hampton Inn & Suites Indianapolis – Airport: 11,565 new bars
• Hampton Inn Indianapolis Northwest – Park 100: 6,277 new bars
• Hampton Inn Indianapolis / Carmel: 4,942 new bars
• Holiday Inn Schenectady Hotel: 4,238 new bars
• Hampton Inn Schenectady: 3,931 new bars
• Residence Inn Indianapolis Northwest: 3,004 new bars
• Holiday Inn Express Indianapolis – Northwest – Park 100: 2,574 new bars
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Turning Stone Resort Casino Off to an Awesome Start

Founded upon the Native American values of the Oneida Indians, the Turning Stone Resort Casino is dedicated to charitable causes and environmental sustainability. Which is why they have already recycled more than 8,000 pounds of soap and bottled amenities with Clean the World since late 2013.

Joining the Global Hygiene Revolution demonstrates and reinforces Turning Stone’s dedication to charitable causes and environmental sustainability. Turning Stone uses water from its drainage systems and reclaimed city water to irrigate the complex’s grounds and golf courses. As a 24/7 resort, Turning Stone utilizes LED lights and photo sensors that adjust to natural daylight to conserve electricity. Special roof coating materials are also used throughout the facility to extend the rubber’s life and keep the materials cooler on hot days, thus reducing the amount of work required from the air conditioning systems.

Turning Stone is off to an awesome start!

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Pacifica Hotels Reaches 5,000-Pound Milestone

One of the awesome things about working with companies in the hospitality industry is that they typically have a strong commitment to community involvement. Pacifica Hotels is a great example. With giving back as a core value – Pacifica supports charitable organizations and encourages employee service. Those efforts are reflected in the company’s recent milestone achievement of contributing more than 5,000 pounds of discarded soap and bottled amenities to the Global Hygiene Revolution.

With Pacifica’s barely used soap, Clean the World is able to create more than 23,000 re-manufactured soap bars. And nearly 6,000 plastic bottles of can be re-purposed into ONE Project hygiene kits. The kits are distributed to homeless shelters, missions, and disaster relief organizations.

Thank you for your support, Pacifica! Our recycling facilities are ready for the next 5,000 pounds.

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Driftwood Includes Soap Recycling in CSR Initiative

Driftwood Hospitality Management has a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Driftwood’s partnerships with virtually every major leading hotel and resort company include implementing socially responsible programs at the company’s owned and managed hotels.

Now their CSR commitment extends to soap and bottled amenity recycling with Clean the World. Nearly half of Driftwood’s properties are already on board. So far Driftwood has diverted almost 2,000 pounds of waste to our recycling facilities. We have received enough discarded soap to press nearly 5,000 new bars.

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Disaster Victims to Receive Liquid Soap From Clearly Natural

Our friends at Clearly Natural are always ready to lend a hand. And boy are they ever quick to respond.

When we started preparing to send personal hygiene supplies to areas of the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan, Clearly Natural contacted us right away. The manufacturer of natural glycerine bar soaps, body washes and liquid hand soaps offered to make a large contribution, and it was less than 48 hours before the truck backed up to our loading dock in Orlando.

The donation from Clearly Natural contained about 200 cases of liquid hand soap. They also provided 2-ounce bar soaps that can be included in hygiene kits.

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Unilever Donates Soap by the Truckload

 

A couple times every day, a UPS truck backs up to the loading dock at our Orlando warehouse and unloads dozens of bins containing discarded soap from hotels. We run the bars through our sterilization and recycling process. After the cycle is complete, we end up with boxes full of new soap bars that are shipped around the world. 

Thanks to a gift from Unilever, there was one afternoon recently when Clean the World’s Operations team received 100 times more soap than they would on a typical day. The sweet-smelling donation came our way courtesy of a formulation change at a Unilever soap manufacturing plant. An ingredient modification caused the soap to be out of spec for the company’s needs – but perfect in every other way.

“A manager at the plant was leaving to join the Peace Corps, but she had one great idea for us before she left,” said Jessica Sobel, North America Sustainability Manager for Unilever. “Within our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, we want to help improve people’s health & well-being. Globally, we are teaching consumers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America the importance of washing hands with soap to reduce the incidence of life-threatening diseases. This manager suggested that we use this soap and allow the U.S. business to contribute to our global handwashing mission. Her idea of donating the soap to Clean the World was the perfect solution.”

The surplus soap came to Clean the World in large, brick-like chunks. We immediately started grinding the big yellow pieces and forming them into bars on our production line. It didn’t take long for the recycled Unilever soap to start making a difference.

One of the photos at the bottom of this post shows a little boy holding a bag full of soap bars. The bars were formed from the Unilever donation. That boy in Quito, Ecuador received those bars just two weeks ago.

Currently our volunteers are preparing more than 40 thousand hygiene kits, which will be distributed to Filipinos displaced by Typhoon Haiyan.

Those are just two examples of how one company’s donation can benefit so many people. With the surplus from Unilever’s manufacturing plant, Clean the World can save even more lives with soap.

 

Las Vegas Sands Steps Up to Sponsor Hygiene Kits for Typhoon Relief

On Monday we asked our hospitality partners for corporate donations to fund the assembly and shipping of ONE Project Disaster Relief hygiene kits to the Philippines. Less than three hours later, Las Vegas Sands contacted us to offer $80,000, which will pay for 40,000 hygiene kits!

That means 40,000 people will receive a resealable plastic bag containing soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste and washcloths.

“We commend Clean the World on mobilizing this critical aid to the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, and we’re proud to support this incredibly important work to provide much-needed hygiene kits for the relief effort,” said Mr. Michael Leven, president and chief operating officer, Las Vegas Sands Corporation. “Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by this terrible disaster as well as anyone who has family and friends in the region.”

Relief efforts such as this are so important for the long-term recovery of areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Regular washing is essential to avoid contracting diarrhea and other ailments. With so much of the infrastructure destroyed by the storm, a regular supply of soap and other hygiene products will be important for months to come.

Clean the World partners with experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have established distribution channels in the Philippines. These partners ensure the supplies get where they need to be when they need to be there.

Please join Las Vegas Sands in this ongoing humanitarian effort. Every $2 we receive buys another hygiene kit. Or for $5,400, your company, organization or family can send a shipping container of 108,000 soap bars to the Philippines.

Please click here to donate.

Calling All Volunteers!

As donations continue to come in, we will need additional volunteers in our Orlando and Las Vegas warehouses. Bring your group to Clean the World for a morning or afternoon session. Right now we need all the help we can get to prepare and ship personal hygiene supplies to the Philippines. Because soap really does save lives.

Please contact us at volunteers@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com if you want more information on volunteer opportunities.

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Marriott’s Sustainable Development Boosts Economies, Creates Jobs

Marriott International has been an enthusiastic supporter of Clean the World since 2009. Their commitment continued to grow this year when Marriott’s Jeff Wolff joined us on a soap distribution trip to the Dominican Republic. Jeff is vice president of guest experience and rooms operations – Americas.

Now Clean the World is mentioned in Marriott’s just-released 2013 Sustainability Report Update, which updates the company’s 2011-2012 Sustainability Report. Here is an excerpt from the “Environment” portion of the report:

In 2012, Marriott became an official hotel partner of Clean the World, a nonprofit that collects, recycles and distributes partially used soaps and other hygiene amenities globally to communities in need. With nearly 47,000 rooms already participating, Marriott is the number one hotel chain in the Clean the World portfolio, having collected more than 75,000 pounds of soap and 50,000 pounds of amenities.

As Marriott International grows beyond its current global footprint of more than 3,800 hotels in over 70 countries, the company is focusing on development which will provide sustainable economic activity and local employment.
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Marriott’s Jeff Wolff Visits the Dominican Republic

Jeff Wolff has seen a lot of poverty in his extensive travels throughout the Caribbean and Latin American regions. However, his recent soap distribution trip to the Dominican Republic with Clean the World revealed just how challenging daily life is for so many people.

“It is very different to view poverty from afar and then actually see it up close,” said Wolff, who is Marriott’s vice president of Guest Experience and Rooms Operations – Americas. “While the living conditions surprised me, I was pleasantly surprised by the impact that Children International [the in-country partner for this trip] appears to be having. It is very positive that Clean the World maximizes its effectiveness by working with organizations that are already established in specific countries.”

Wolff said he was overwhelmed by the smiles and hugs the Clean the World team received from so many people. Children and parents appreciated the simple gift of soap, which most of us take for granted.

When he had the opportunity to visit a neighborhood and see where some of those families live, Wolff was struck by their ability to survive and stay positive despite many economic challenges. He saw firsthand why soap recycling makes sense beyond keeping waste out of landfills.

“The process Clean the World has in place is able to get this product to the people who need it the most.”

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How IHG Helps Clean the World

Last week Clean the World was featured in the Priority Club Connect blog from IGH.
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In 2009, while on a business trip in Minneapolis, two Priority Club Rewards members decided that there must be more than a couple nights’ uses left in a bar of Holiday Inn soap.

They researched the idea of recycling hotel soap, and today, with the help of more than 5,000 volunteers worldwide, Shawn Seipler and Paul Till run Clean the World. Clean the World is an organization that melts down, sanitizes, and delivers thousands of pounds of lightly used soap to needy populations around the world – and they do so at more than 1,700 hotels in North America. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. READ FULL BLOG POST
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Longboat Key Club & Resort Hits Milestone Number

The following press release was issued by Longboat Key Club & Resort on Monday, Oct. 15:
[Longboat Key, FL – October 15, 2012] Celebrating the one year anniversary of its participation in the Clean the World program, Longboat Key Club & Resort is proud to announce it has achieved a milestone number – the distribution of over 3,000 bars of soap to children and families in over 55 countries worldwide, as a result of the 1,514 pounds of hotel amenities that have been collected at the Resort since January, 2012. 
“I cannot tell you how proud I am that through our participation in the Clean the World program, we at Longboat Key Club & Resort have been able to positively impact the lives of children and families thousands of miles away. This is just one of many green initiatives that we support at the Resort and the resulting benefits of saving lives, repurposing products and reducing waste is a wonderful statement of success. By dedicating time to this effort we have been able to keep over 1,514 pounds of waste out of our landfills and in turn, help create life saving products that that have a global reach,” said Rick Benninghove, Director of Operations for Longboat Key Club & Resort. “I challenge other hospitality partners to participate in the program, not only for the life-saving impact of the organization but also for the camaraderie and positive morale it fosters among the associates. It is really uplifting when they realize that through their day-to day efforts they have been able to save lives and support families around the globe in such a significant way.”
Since it’s inception in February, 2009, Clean the World  Foundation, Inc, has distributed over 11 million bars of soap and 325 tons of repurposed shampoos and conditioners to over 55 countries worldwide including Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Swaziland, Mali, Mongolia, Uganda, Honduras and Romania. Currently operating in 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, the organization can produce over 80,000 bars of life-saving soaps each day.  Converting collected hotel amenities into usable products through a patented sanitizing process by Florida certified Tri-Tech Laboratories; the repurposed products are a life-saving measure for thousands of young children and families.
“The importance of what Longboat Key Club & Resort is doing cannot be understated”, said Clean the World CEO, Shawn Seipler. “The act of giving a child a lifesaving bar of soap, and seeing their reaction is nothing short of incredible. For these children who cannot afford it regularly, receiving free soap is like a Christmas gift. I thank our hospitality partners for making it happen every day it is precisely what we set out to do when we began the organization in 2009. It is very simple – soap saves lives.”
Seipler just returned from a soap distribution trip to Honduras, the poorest country in Latin America, where over 4,000 bars of soap were distributed to impoverished school children and orphans in partnership with the U.S. Military at the Soto Cano Air Force Base.
3.5 million children under the age of 5 will die this year due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. Up to 65% of these deaths can be prevented by simple hand-washing with bar soap and proper personal hygiene practices. Longboat Key Club & Resort proudly supports the Clean the World Foundation to support them in their goal of saving millions lives each year. 
For more information about becoming a hospitality partner or an individual supporter, visit www.cleantheworld.org.
About Longboat Key Club and Resort
Longboat Key Club & Resort is Sarasota’s premier AAA Four-Diamond beachfront resort and private club renowned for its distinctive guest service and unparalleled amenities. Easily accessible from two international airports, the resorts on-site amenities include: championship golf; 25 Har-Tru tennis courts; a state-of-the-art Fitness Centre; Island House Spa offering over 50 services; six unique restaurants; a 291 slip deep-water marina; and a private white sand beach. Located at 220 Sands Pointe Road, Longboat Key, Florida, reservations can be made by calling (941) 383-8821, (800) 237-8821 or by contacting us online at www.longboatkeyclub.com.
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Thanks a Million, Starwood!

Any way you slice it, a million of anything is a lot.

When you are dead-set against doing something, you say you wouldn’t do it in a million years. A recording artist receives a platinum record for selling a million copies of an album. And who wouldn’t want to want to win a million dollars?

But think about a million bars of soap. Just imagine how many hygiene-related illnesses can be prevented when a million bars of soap are sent out into the world. That’s how many recycled bars we have created with the used soap donated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

When Starwood signed on with Clean the World in April of 2011, it was the first corporate partner to join the Global Hygiene Revolution. Now with 168 properties participating in the program, Starwood is the first partner to reach the milestone of one million recycled bars.

We are grateful to the thousands of housekeeping associates collecting soap and bottled amenities every day at Starwood properties. At this rate, it won’t be long before we create a million more recycled bars from Starwood soap.

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Sysco Guest Supply Provides Generous Soap Donation

Recycling and distributing soap can be a bit challenging at times. But somehow things just always work out. And after more than three years, we are still amazed every day when the pieces just fall into place.

The team at Sysco Guest Supply.

An important piece of the puzzle recently fell into place when the wonderful people at Sysco Guest Supply donated  two truckloads of brand new soap. The 33 pallets came just in the nick of time to help us fill a request from World Vision. 

It is hard to fathom how much soap fits into two huge semi trailers. We’re talking about 37,297 pounds of soap on those 33 pallets. That comes out to 198,920 3-ounce bars of soap. This is an incredible donation from an incredible organization. We are grateful and appreciative of the generous donation, which will directly affect those in need around the world.

David Baron, the soap operations supervisor at Sysco Guest Supply, rallied his team to help us make our deadline for Global Vision. He said the group was grateful for the opportunity to partner with Clean the World – and we obviously feel the same way.

Thanks, Sysco Guest Supply! You are a huge part of the Global Hygiene Revolution.

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Las Vegas Sands Celebrates Sustainability Achievements

Properties owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. have been forerunners in the movement to recycle soap. Now the company has published its inaugural Environmental Report, which is the first environmental study in the gaming industry to be formally verified by the Global Reporting Initiative, a leading non-profit organization that promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability.

During the launch event at The Venetian Las Vegas, the company highlighted its significant investments in state-of-the-art green technologies, including solar panels, nano-filtration systems and advanced building management systems. The report offers further details on the company’s green building designs, environmentally responsible operations, green meetings, and extensive community outreach and engagement.

“Our Environmental Report shows that when guests stay at our resorts, they’ll enjoy not only a comfortable and relaxing hotel experience but also the satisfaction of staying with a conscientious hospitality company,” said Michael A. Leven, the company’s president and chief operating officer. “Our Sands ECO360° strategy has now placed us at the forefront of green hotel operations — from air quality and energy efficiency to helping disabled and underprivileged people.”

Read the full press release by clicking here.

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Grand, Green Achievement for Oregon Hotel

The Grand Hotel in Salem, Ore., is now an EarthWISE-certified business. The flagship property of VIP’S Industries has been a Clean the World partner for more than two years.

The hotel and Bentley’s Grill, which is an on-property restaurant, are the first hotel and restaurant in Oregon’s Marion County to be EarthWISE certified. The certification through
Marion County’s EarthWISE program recognizes a commitment to environmentally friendly practices.

In addition to recycling soap and bottled amenities through Clean the World, The Grand Hotel and Bentley’s have implemented:

  
     – Use of 100% recycled paper for all printed material
     – Utilize Earth-friendly cleaning solutions and drainage system
     – Supports local economy by purchasing products and food from local suppliers
     – Operates on Energy Star appliances
     – Sleeping room towel and linen program that allows guests to re-use bedding and towels
     – Sleeping room and public area recycling
     – Replacement of all lighting in guest rooms with cool white compact fluorescent lighting
     – Composting throughout entire facility
     – Extensive recycling of all plastic material.
     – Purchase wind power to offset energy cost

Marion County’s EarthWISE Program is a free environmental assistance
program offered to all businesses in the county. To be certified, businesses must
meet the standards summarized in the EarthWISE certification application. After an
application is received, an on‐site certification assessment determines whether or not the EarthWISE certification is warranted.

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Starwood Passes Sustainability Milestone


Summary:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Passes Sustainability Milestone with Clean the World – More than 50,000 Hotel Rooms Recycling Soaps and Bottled Amenities

Collection of guest room amenities in less than one year exceeds 278,000 lbs. of hygiene products recycled and distributed to stop the spread of preventable diseases worldwide

Less than one year after becoming corporate partners, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) has reached a significant sustainability milestone with Clean the World Foundation Inc.

Starwood, one of the world’s leading hotel and leisure companies, has surpassed 50,000 hotel rooms participating in the Clean the World amenities recycling program. The hotel rooms represent nearly 30 percent of the total Starwood properties in North America.

Clean the World and Starwood announced a corporate partnership on Earth Day, 2011. Since joining Clean the World’s hospitality partnership program, Starwood properties have contributed more than 278,000 lbs. of hygiene products – soaps, shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and lotions – which would have been discarded as trash were it not for recycling efforts provided by Clean the World.

Clean the World Foundation Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization committed to stopping the spread of preventable diseases by collecting, recycling and distributing hotel guest room amenities to children and families in the United States, Canada, and more than 45 countries. Additionally, Clean the World has helped divert more than 1.4 million lbs. of hotel waste from local landfills through its sustainable and socially responsible efforts.

Through a series of webinars with Starwood properties and a strategic internal marketing and communications campaign, Starwood has steadily added properties to Clean the World’s growing list of more than 1,300 hospitality partners in North America. There are now 150 Starwood properties, representing all brands, enrolled in the Clean the World amenities recycling program, up from 31 individual properties when the corporate agreement was announced last year.

“Our goal in the first year of participation with Clean the World was to achieve 25% adoption among our North American properties, and we have exceeded that goal,” says Jennifer Bauchner, director of rooms and sustainability, Starwood North America Operations. “Once our property managers understand the environmental and social impact of amenities recycling and how that leads to employee engagement and customer interest , they are eager  to support Clean the World.”

Each day 9,000 children around the world die from diseases such as acute respiratory illness and diarrheal diseases that can be prevented by washing with bar soap. Clean the World has a mission to put soap in the hands of people who need it most to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions and to lessen the impact of disease and promote better hygiene and living conditions worldwide.

“Starwood has been a remarkable partner from the start and this milestone is an example of how corporate support can lead to adoption of sustainable and socially responsible initiatives at individual properties,” says Shawn Seipler, co-founder at CEO at Clean the World. “As our first corporate partner, Starwood recognizes the value of our comprehensive amenities recycling program and the social good it can provide with the proper encouragement and investment on the local level.”

Clean the World recently achieved a major milestone with the global distribution of more than 10 million soap bars in just three years of operation. The soaps are often packaged as part of sustainable hygiene kits, which include recycled bottled amenities and other hygiene-related items collected from Clean the World hotel partners throughout North America. Recent distributions of soaps and hygiene kits have been made in East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Madagascar, Nicaragua, and Sierra Leone.

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Tons of Soap Success at Walt Disney World Resorts

The Walt Disney World Resorts, which include all properties in Florida, California, and a new resort in Hawaii, are flexing their collective muscle with regard to helping Clean the World.
And they’ll need all the muscle they can get to lift such an impressive amount of soaps and bottled amenities.

Since becoming one of Clean the World’s first hospitality partners, the Disney properties have combined to collect an astounding 565,509 bars of soap (106,166 lbs. or 53 tons ) to help stop the spread of preventable diseases worldwide. By also collecting bottled amenities, Walt Disney World Resorts have helped divert more than 173,000 lbs. (86.5 tons) of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

Just for fun, consider what those 86.5 tons of hotel waste would represent in creative terms:
– 1.73 million golf balls (Disney resorts have great golf courses. You’ll need to shower after playing)
– 72,083 smoked turkey legs (a Disney theme park treat)
– 1 really clean, great-smelling Space Shuttle (with plenty of leftover soap bars to fight preventable diseases in outer space)

Mickey Mouse must be proud.

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Kalahari Resorts Goes ‘Beyond Expectations’

The tagline tells the story. Our partners at Kalahari Resorts have gone “Beyond Expectations” by collecting more than two tons of amenities in the first three months since partnering with Clean the World.

Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., an authentically African-themed resort, collected 16,969 soap bars (2,891 lbs.) in less than 90 days. Together with the bottled amenities, Kalahari Resorts has helped divert nearly 5,000 lbs. (2.5 tons) of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

Clean the World has a mission to stop the spread of fatal, but preventable, diseases worldwide by collecting, recycling, and distributing hotel soaps. Soaps have proven themselves in clinical studies to stop by up to 60 percent the 3.5 million hygiene-related deaths that occur annually in communities where soap is in short supply.

In three years Clean the World has distributed more than 10 million soap bars to children and families in the United States, Canada, and more than 45 countries.


“I am proud of our company for partnering with such a terrific organization as Clean the World, and I am moved by the degree to which the team of dedicated Kalahari associates has embraced the program,” says Greg Sherrill, rooms division manager at Kalahari Resorts – Wisconsin Dells.
“It’s a pleasure to work with Clean the World. We look forward to saving many more lives together.”

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Las Vegas – Top Performing Properties

Feb. 29 marked the official opening of the Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center, but Clean the World is already witnessing great enthusiasm for soap recycling among our top performing properties in the Western Region of the United States.

In fact, of Clean the World’s more than 1,300 hotel partners throughout North America, our top four performers – and 5 of the top 9 — are from Las Vegas.

Consider these remarkable collection statistics (in ascending order):

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (8,781 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities) – 30,000 bars of soap

The Venetian and The Palazzo (25,129 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities) – 80,500 bars of soap

Encore Las Vegas (26,674 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities) – 86,000 bars of soap

Caesars Palace (26,890 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities) – 87,000 bars of soap

Wynn Las Vegas (28,793 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities) – 92,000 bars of soap

The combined totals for these five properties alone equal 116,267 lbs. of hotel waste diverted from local landfills — more than 57 tons of trash — which will now be recycled into lifesaving hygiene supplies for people around the world.

Las Vegas is achieving amazing things. With the ability to attract individuals and families to the #1 entertainment destination in the United States, we have a great opportunity to benefit from the soaps and shampoos these guests leave behind.

It’s already happening  in Las Vegas. Just think of what this facility can do once all hotel partners in the Western and Pacific regions send their soaps and bottled amenities to Clean the World.
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LATHER Donates Nearly 200,000 Bars of Soap

LATHER, a branded and custom amenities provider to distinctive hotel properties, recently made a gracious donation to Clean the World with the purpose of promoting better hygiene opportunities for children and families in need.

The Pasadena, Calif.-based company donated nearly 200,000 bars of soap to help advance Clean the World’s global hygiene revolution. The soaps filled 20 pallets that were received at Clean the World’s Las Vegas recycling operations center in November.

More than 1,000 cases of facial soaps and body soaps were donated as a good faith gesture to show LATHER’s commitment to helping Clean the World stop the spread of preventable diseases by providing soap in disadvantaged communities.

“We are big fans of Clean the World and strong supporters of its efforts to advance a global hygiene revolution,” says Robert Hoyt, president at LATHER. “Soap is such a critical element to proper hygiene, and too many of us take it for granted. This just seems like a natural fit to help bring comfort through our abundance of resources. We’re happy to help out now and in the future.”

LATHER also showed its support for Clean the World by being a Silver Sponsor at the recent Inaugural Clean the World Gala.

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Westin Diplomat Collects 24,000 lbs. of Soap

The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla., leads all U.S. -based Starwood Hotels and Resorts  properties in amenities contributions through the Clean the World soap collecting and recycling program.

In two full years, the resort has collected more than 24,000 pounds of soaps and bottled amenities (shampoos, conditioners, body washes, lotions and gels) – the most out of 126 Starwood hotels in the program. Starwood Hotels and Resorts became the first corporate partner in the Clean the World program on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

“The housekeeping team has been the driving force behind our success with this program,” says Michelle Gash, restaurant event manager and sustainability champion. “It’s amazing to watch their pride in helping people in need. We are glad to be partners with Clean the World and to be able to see our contribution going to help prevent disease and sickness in less fortunate countries.”

Orlando, Fla.-based Clean the World is the global leader in hotel amenities recycling, and serves as the industry standard with its ission to collect and deliver hygiene products to stop the spread of preventable diseases.

In less than three years, Clean the World has collected, recycled and distributed more than 9 million bars of soap and more than 600,000 pounds of bottled amenities in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries, including. This effort has helped divert more than 1.2 million pounds of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

Each day, 9,000 children around the world die from diseases such as acute respiratory illness and diarrheal diseases that can be prevented by washing with bar soap. Clean the World Foundation has a mission to put soap in the hands of people who need it most — to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions, to lessen the impact of disease, and to promote better hygiene and living conditions worldwide.

“Something so simple can save so many lives,” says Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder at Clean the World. “Westin Diplomat continues to be a tremendously generous and supportive partner, as have all of the Starwood properties, and they are helping us deliver on our promise to collect, recycle and distribute much-needed hygiene products to communities so desperately in need. We’re turning trash into treasure and saving lives in the process. That’s a powerful partnership.”

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Pineapple Hospitality Donates 90,000 Bottled Amenities to Clean the World

Summary: Eco-friendly body washes, lotions and conditioners to be distributed domestically, bringing comfort and improved hygiene to children and families in homeless shelters, rescue centers and missions.

As Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, with all of its traditional abundance, one Missouri-based company is giving from its bounty to help Clean the World.
Pineapple Hospitality, the premier distributor of “green” hotel products and marketing programs to the hospitality industry, has donated more than 90,000 bottles of eco-friendly body washes, lotions and conditioners to improve comfort and dignity for children and families in distressed situations throughout the United States. The donations will be received by Clean theWorld, an Orlando, Fla.-based organization that recycles and distributes hygiene products to people in need.

The decision to donate the products comes right before Thanksgiving Day, but will have lasting impact for recipients of the Pineapple Hospitality products during and after the holiday season.

“We’re all aware of the economic and social distress so many families are experiencing in our own country and around the world,” says Ray Burger, CEO and president at Pineapple Hospitality. “Clean the World, with its impressive record of sustainability and social outreach, provides an ideal vehicle for our company to share our beauty and hygiene resources with those who need them most.”

Clean the World, a social enterprise committed to saving lives and protecting our planet, works with more than 1,200 hospitality partners in North America to collect and recycle hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases.

“Through the generosity of partners such as Pineapple Hospitality, we are able to advance our mission to improve the hygiene and living conditions of children and families all over the globe,” says Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder at Clean the World. “Particularly in the United States, where we often take for granted our many gifts and privileges, we will be able to offer hygiene support and comfort that aligns with our goal to save lives with soap and bring dignity with simple gifts in troubling times.”

In less than three years Clean the World has collected, recycled and distributed more than 9 million bars of soap and more than 600,000 lbs. of bottled amenities in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries. This effort has helped divert more than 1.2 million lbs. of hotel waste from polluting local landfills.

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Positive Impact: Central Florida Marriott Business Council

Central Florida Marriott Business Council, a sponsor of the Inaugural Clean the World Gala, is showing what kind of impact a dedicated group of hotel properties can have when they make a decision to help Clean the World.

The council of 17 Central Florida hotel properties, representing a variety of Marriott brands throughout the region, will be well-represented at the Gala – in person and with the soaps and bottled amenities they have collected for Clean the World.

Since partnering with Clean the World in 2009, the Central Florida Marriott Business Council properties have made 466 shipments to Clean the World, collecting a grand total of 28,625 lbs. of soap and 14,413 lbs. of bottled amenities.

The Orlando Marriott World Center alone has collected 11,230 lbs. of soap and 4,470 lbs. of bottled amenities for recycling and distribution to children and families in need all around the world.

The overall contributions from the Council have helped provide hygiene items for 30,533 children and families in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries.

“Having received such tremendous support from these Marriott properties in our own backyard, we are confident that we will see similarly successful results with other Marriott properties throughout North America as word spreads about Clean the World,” says Shawn Seipler, co-founder and CEO of Clean the World. “The Central Florida Marriott Business Council helped us establish a strong foothold of hotel properties in Central Florida, and it is on that foundation, supported by nearly 1,200 hotel partners throughout North America, that we will grow in the future.”

Click here for a list of properties involved in the Central Florida Marriott Business Council.

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A Ton of Soap to Help Clean the World

The global hygiene revolution has taken root in the hospitality industry, not only among hotels, but among hospitality vendors as well.

Sysco Guest Supply, one of the nation’s largest providers of soaps and bottled amenities to the hotel industry, recently made a generous donation to Clean the World.

The New-Jersey based company shipped more than three pallets of soaps to Clean the World in July. The pallets contained barrels filled with 2,119 lbs. of soap or the equivalent of 11,330 soap bars. Many of the soaps will be included as part of an upcoming Clean the World soap distribution trip to Haiti, with others designated for domestic distribution to homeless shelters, women’s shelters and missions.

“We’re enormously grateful for the generosity shown by Sysco Guest Supply,” says Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder of Clean the World. “The soaps will soon be in the hands of children and families in desperate need of hygiene supplies. We’re thankful for the opportunity to include these soaps in our ongoing effort to stop the spread of preventable diseases.”

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PRESS RELEASE: World Vision Partners with Clean the World to Deliver Recycled Soap Worldwide

Orlando, FL. — March 18, 2010 —World Vision has partnered with Clean the World to provide hygiene products as part of their overall mission to tackle the causes of poverty among children, families and communities around the world.

Clean the World collects the gently used bar soap and bottled amenity products that are routinely thrown away by hotels and resorts. These products are then sanitized in their Recycling Operations Centers and packaged for distribution to those in need.

“In this country we take soap for granted,” said Shawn Seipler, executive director and co-founder of Clean the World. “But throughout the world people are literally dying for soap.”

With operations in more than 100 countries across the globe, World Vision is very well positioned to distribute the recycled soap and provide essential hygiene education. According to clinical studies, the combination of bar soap and proper hygiene education can reduce the effects of acute respiratory illness and diarrheal disease, the number one and number two killers of children worldwide respectively, by up to 65%.

“Through this partnership with Clean the World, our ability to bring proper hygiene practices and soap to impoverished countries is greatly enhanced” said John Jensen, Senior Director of Key Partnerships at World Vision.

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, Clean the World provided World Vision with one million bars of soap for Haiti hygiene kits. These kits will be distributed to quake survivors there. With tens of thousands of survivors still in urgent need of basic sanitation, the hygiene kits are meeting a critical need.

The partnership has already combined to deliver hygiene products to Uganda, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mali, Mongolia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Romania, Albania and Armenia. Additional countries will be added in the next few weeks.

The Need for Soap
Studies by the World Health Organization show that the use of soap in hand washing greatly reduces the incidence of diarrheal and respiratory illness. Combined these diseases are the leading causes of death amongst children under the age of 5, killing 3.5 million children annually. By providing soap to impoverished people World Vision and Clean the World hope to greatly reduce these deaths.

About World Vision Product Donation
Products donated to World Vision, or “gifts-in-kind” (GIK), are a company’s first-quality or specially-produced inventory donated to assist those in need. World Vision sorts, ships, and distributes these goods to millions of children and families in the U.S. and overseas each year. World Vision works in 100 countries, half of which have duty free status to import donations. In the past five years, World Vision has placed more than $1.5 billion worth of donated goods from major corporations, including medical supplies, school supplies, building materials, personal care items, clothing, shoes, books, and sporting goods

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Stay in Touch

With Clean the World.