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Clean the World Announces Partnership with the Witness Group

For immediate release:

Recycled Hygiene Products Will Save Lives Around the World

ORLANDO, Fla. — (March 22, 2018) – Discarded soap and bottled amenities left behind by guests at the Witness Group properties now have a second life thanks to a recycling program from Clean the World, a leader in Global Health, that helps fight the spread of preventable diseases. The Witness Group (TWG), recently launched the recycling program at its 28 properties, including 2,581 rooms.

Used soap and plastic amenity bottles from all TWG properties are shipped to a Clean the World Recycling Operations Center, where they are sanitized and repurposed. Clean the World’s simple mission is to recycle hotel soap and save lives. The organization has partnered with more than 5,000 hotels and resorts to put life-saving hygiene products in the hands of those who need them most.

Vijay Phatak, SVP of Operations at TWG says “The foundation of our hospitality industry depends on teamwork and helping each other to achieve common goal for the hotel. When we realized that we could take that teamwork to help a far greater goal to improve global health, it was an easy decision to partner with Clean the World who is known for recycling discarded soap and bottled amenities to convert in life-saving hygiene products for those in need. Every Witness Group associate does their part of the process with extreme pride and enthusiasm knowing that their simple action could help save lives around the world.”

About 2 million children under the age of 5 die every year due to hygiene-related illnesses. Hand washing with soap is a low-cost intervention that can reduce those deaths by almost 50 percent. Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 44 million bars of soap in 127 countries.

“Sustainability is a major focus for hotels,” said Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder of Clean the World. “We estimate the North American lodging industry throws away more than a million bars of soap each day. By recycling soap and bottled amenities, TWG will divert an estimated 8,876 pounds from landfills. This equates to roughly 50,000 life-saving hygiene products each year that will go directly into the hands of children and their families in need.”

For more information about the Clean the World Hotel Recycling program, please visit: https://cleantheworld.org/get-involved/hotel-recycling-program/


About Clean the World

Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. Clean the World operates soap recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Punta Cana and leads a “Global Hygiene Revolution” to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 5,000 hotel and resort partners. The organization benefits children and families in countries with a high pre-adolescent death rate due to acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera) – which are two of the top killers of children under the age of five. Since 2009, more than 44 million bars of Clean the World soap have been distributed in over 127 countries. Clean the World has served over 10 million individuals through its soap distribution and hygiene education programs. In addition, Clean the World provides hygiene kits to relief organizations throughout North America. More information: CleantheWorld.org.

FOR CLEAN THE WORLD:
Sandie Beauchamp
sbeauchamp@cleantheworld.org
(407) 574-8353

About The Witness Group
The Witness Group is a best-in-class hospitality and mixed-use real estate company with three unique, integrated solutions for Investment, Management, and Construction. TWG currently operates 28 hotels, with an additional 10+ various stages of planning or construction. It is the organization’s belief that success begins with a commitment to performing at our B.E.S.T. – Balance, Empowerment, Service, and Transparency. The Witness Group strives to be a community partner, both locally and globally.

To learn more about The Witness Group, please visit:
www.thewitnessgroup.com

PRESS RELEASE: Clean the World Launches Hygiene Kits for Veterans

Clean the World launches new Veteran Hygiene Kits and a social media contest to honor heroes

ORLANDO, Fla. – (May 18, 2017) – Today, Clean the World, a leader in global health, launches new Veteran Hygiene Kits to improve the lives of our heroes. These life-saving hygiene kits are specialized for veterans and include basic hygiene products as well as important protective items, too.

The kits feature resealable bags, two bars of new soap, bottles of repurposed shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste, razor and shaving cream, comb, socks, deodorant, and inspirational note cards. It’s because of the dedication to country and its people, Clean the World is proud to present its Veteran-themed Hygiene Kit.

“Many of our veterans lack the basic hygiene amenities needed to keep them safe and healthy. It is our duty to support these veterans,” said Shawn Seipler, Founder and CEO for Clean the World. “Putting these specialized kits in the hands of our veterans is a great way to honor and thank them for their service.”

There is an indefinite need for veterans to receive these necessary hygiene products. According to The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 39,471 veterans are homeless on any given night. Unfortunately, the extreme shortage of everyday essentials, such as soap, leaves these veterans at risk for health-related diseases. Clean the World’s Hygiene Kits are meant to prevent such diseases, lift their spirits, and ease the burden of homelessness.

In honor of the Veteran Hygiene Kit release, Clean the World is hosting a social media photo contest. The first-place winner will receive 100 Veteran Hygiene Kits to donate to a local charity of their choice. The photo contest will begin on May 22, 2017 and run until May 31, 2017. For more information on the contest and how to get involved, visit Clean the World’s social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You can also download the official contest Word Calendar here: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/veterans-hygiene-kit-campaign/

About Clean the World:

Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. The organization collects discarded soap and other hygiene products from more than 5,000 hotel and resort partners and operates recycling centers in North America, Asia, and Europe. Clean the World provides hygiene education and soap distribution to make hand washing a lifelong habit. Since 2009, more than 40 million bars of Clean the World soap have been distributed in 115 countries. More information: www.cleantheworld.org

Clean the World Global Headquarters in Orlando has moved

Clean the World is excited to announce that we’ve moved locations!

Clean the World has relocated to:

2544 E. Landstreet Rd, Suite 600, Orlando, FL 32824

Disney's Voluntears at Clean the World

This is our new global headquarters, recycling operational center (ROC) and volunteer center. All soap and bottled amenity shipments, product donations, company correspondence, mail, payments, and volunteers should come to our new global headquarters and new shipping/receiving location at 2544 E. Landstreet Rd, Suite 600, Orlando, FL 32824.

VOLUNTEERS: Please make sure to call (407) 574-8353 and make a volunteer appointment with us. We’re looking forward to the new opportunities and memories that will be made in our new-and-improved location. We can’t wait to have our soap heroes join us!

Map:

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Clean the World’s Shawn Seipler Honored at 18th Annual Don Quijote Awards

Clean the World founder and CEO Shawn Seipler received a huge honor on Saturday, Dec. 12, when he accepted the Excellence Award at the 18th Annual Don Quijote Awards in Orlando.

The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. (HBIF) and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO) host the awards. They recognize and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of individuals who have shown the character of great strength, courage, conviction, shawn_acceptingand determination, just as the beloved character of Spanish literature.

The Don Quijote Awards go to business and professional men and women whose efforts have translated into success, at a ceremony that has become the premier event in Central Florida´s Hispanic community.

Saturday’s gala at Epcot’s World Showcase Pavilion was especially meaningful because it recognized visionaries, dreamers, and business men and women who were willing to take risks to achieve those dreams. As Shawn said before the event, “This nomination honors my Puerto Rican heritage, and I share it with my family members who helped me start Clean the World in a tiny Orlando garage. We had a vision to save lives globally, but no more than potato peelers, grinders, and a few countertop cookers to get going. From that humble start, we created a global hygiene revolution.”

If the nomination was humbling for Shawn – then hearing his name announced as the winner of the Excellence Award was surreal. There to cheer him on were family members, friends, and colleagues who have been part of Clean the World from the beginning.

It was a fantastic night of recognition, and a celebration of manufacturing 30 million bars of recycled soap and providing hygiene education to at-risk people around the world – all in just six years. We want to thank the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando for everything they do to serve the community, and for this meaningful award.

(below: Shawn with his wife and parents, and with longtime Clean the World supporter and board member Dr. Paul Skomsky.)

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shawn_with_paul

 

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Outstanding Leaders

Shawn with Don Quijote Awards representatives Augusto Sanabria (left), Diana Bolivar, and David Ruiz (right).
Shawn Seipler with Don Quijote Awards representatives Augusto Sanabria (left), Diana Bolivar, and David Ruiz (right).

At a press conference in Orlando this morning, the Hispanic Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. (HBIF) and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando announced the 12 finalists for the 18th Annual Don Quijote Awards.

Clean the World founder and CEO Shawn Seipler was among the finalists. He is nominated in the Excellence Award category. The award winners will be announced at the Don Quijote Awards Gala on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Epcot World Showplace Pavilion. Each year, the Don Quijote Awards recognize business excellence, dedication to serve, and outstanding professionalism among Central Florida’s Hispanic community.

Former U.S. Senator from Florida Mel Martinez will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his impact legacy on the Hispanic community in Central Florida and the nation.

At today’s press conference, three finalists were named in each category:

Hispanic Business of the Year, Five Years or Less
Chatter Buzz
E-Vacations, Inc.
Hispanic Family Counseling, Inc.

Hispanic Business of the Year, More Than Five Years
Albu & Associates, Inc.
FLQ Interior Design
ECX Electronics

Professional of the Year
Dr. Cyndia Muniz
Karla Radka
Gloria Puerto

Excellence Award
Shawn Seipler
Janet Perez Eckles
Henry Maldonado

#Donate now @Clean the World

Screen Shot 2015-10-09 at 1.17.39 PMWe are excited to announce our newest social media add-on feature: #Donate.

If you’re hip to social media, you know that’s pronounced “Hashtag Donate.”

This amazing technology from GoodWorld allows users to donate money to their favorite cause simply by commenting “#donate” followed by a dollar amount on a charity’s Facebook page or @ them on Twitter.

Making a quick donation online has never been easier. #Donate redirects first-time users to a new browser tab, where they securely enter their credit card information and confirm the donation amount. Returning #donate users are simply requested to confirm their donation amount. Within 12 hours, the payment is processed, and the non-profit receives their donation after a small service fee deduction.

This technology is a huge benefit to Clean the World, as donations of any size help greatly in the global distribution of our recycled soap bars.

Donations help us further our mission of eliminating environmental waste from the hospitality industry and preventing hygiene-related deaths by supplying soap to at-risk people. Clean the World uses donations to recycle and distribute soap and to provide hygiene education that teaches people how, when, and why to wash their hands.

We launched this new feature on Facebook and Twitter just in time for Global Handwashing Day, which is right around the corner, on Thursday, Oct. 15. Clean the World is a huge supporter of Global Handwashing Day and other hygiene initiatives.

Handwashing education is a crucial piece in tackling preventable hygiene-related diseases in developing regions. By implementing proper handwashing techniques in every household, school, and workplace, we could save more than a half-million lives each year. Therefore, we love spreading awareness through Global Handwashing Day and continuously strive to find ways to make soap readily available to all.

Check out our new tool, tell your friends, and let us know what you think! You can prepare for you first donation by visiting GoodWorld right now and authorizing your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Clean the World Joins the B Corp Movement

CTW Global logo

We are proud to announce that CTW Global is now a Certified B Corporation.

Certified B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. It’s like fair-trade
certification – but for the whole business.

If you have ever bought a bag of fair-trade coffee, then you know the value of spending your money on something that creates goodness all the way around. Fair-trade means the farmers who work so hard to produce your coveted drink are making a fair living, and you get a great-tasting cup of organic coffee. In a similar fashion, Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Our move toward third-party certification from B Lab started more than a year ago.B Lab logo

In July of 2014, Florida joined the growing number of states that permit a special type of business entity known as a “benefit corporation,” which is a hybrid between a non-profit and for-profit company. The benefit corporation is the best possible operating structure for organizations that want to devote a significant portion of their business resources to substantial nonprofit or socially beneficial activities.

CTW Global was the state’s first benefit corporation under the new law last year. But that was only the first step. The next step was to achieve certification by B Lab, a 501(c)3 non-profit that serves a global movement of entrepreneurs and uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Lab serves these entrepreneurs through initiatives that provide the legal infrastructure and help them attract the customers, talent, and capital to scale.

A company can incorporate as a benefit corporation simply by completing the required forms provided by the secretary of state in any given state. However, the certification process from B Lab is the gold standard when it comes to operating as a B Corp. As a Certified B Corporation, CTW Global is expected and required to meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

At Clean the World, we are inspired by the global movement to redefine success. Certified B Corps distinguish themselves by offering a positive vision of a better way to do business. It is an honor for us to have CTW Global join the nearly 1,400 B Lab-certified B Corporations that are translating ideas into action in 42 countries.

CTW Global is a pioneer and leader in implementing business-centric structures that maximize impact on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profits. It is the social enterprise that provides operational and business services to the four non-profit entities that are a key part of Clean the World’s sustainable ecosystem. The non-profit entities are: Clean the World Foundation, Clean the World Canada, Clean the World Asia, and the Global Soap Project.

Meet the New Members of Our Leadership Team

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Since 2009, all of us at Clean the World have been working with our heads down and shoulders to the soap grinder. Every now and then we pause for a moment to take stock of what happened over the past six years – and it is humbling. From zero to more than 4,000 hotel partners, more than 29 million bars of soap distributed in 99 countries, and more than 50 team members working across three continents.

We continue to be blessed by attracting top-notch talent. Our ever-growing organization has some of the finest operations, customer service, sales, and marketing people not just in the social enterprise sector, but in business period. Here is a look at some new key members of the team:

Lauren Blasco, Director of International Development: Originally from Delray Beach, Florida, Lauren spent the past six years in Hong Kong, where she was involved with a regional soap recycling organization called Soap Cycling. Lauren will work closely with CEO Shawn Seipler in developing global growth strategies for Clean the World.

Pierre Daigneault, Executive Director, Canada and Europe: Pierre has worked as an attorney specializing in real estate transactions, financing and corporate law, He owned and managed several businesses including an investment brokerage firm. Prior to joining Clean the World, Pierre spend seven years in the environmental, sustainability and carbon market business.

Dale Flowers, Chief Financial Officer: In 2008, Dale co-founded a CFO consulting firm that specialized in turnaround management projects, and M&A transaction support. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina and an MBA with a concentration in international business from the Davis College of Business at Jacksonville University.
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Dale Flowers
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NEWS RELEASE: Clean the World Opens Canadian Operations Center to Support Growth and Expansion

New facility provides life-saving hygiene supplies to homeless shelters, senior citizens, and struggling families throughout Canada.

Orlando, Florida – July 21, 2015 – The world’s only large-scale recycler of hotel soap recently opened an office and recycling center in Montreal. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Clean the World is a global social enterprise that has contributed to a 30 percent reduction in pre-adolescent deaths from hygiene-related illnesses since 2009. With the new facility coming online, soap and bottled amenities collected from hotels in Canada will benefit Canadians at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.

Each month, close to 850,000 Canadians receive assistance from food banks. About 36 percent of those helped are children and youth. Through a partnership with Moisson Montreal, one of Canada’s major food banks, Canadian families will benefit from the discarded hotel items processed in Clean the World’s Montreal operations center.

“Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed nearly 700,000 hygiene kits in the United States and Canada,” said Clean the World founder and CEO Shawn Seipler. “By any measure, we have made tremendous strides in reducing the incidence of hygiene-related illnesses in developing regions around the world. Our new Montreal facility provides an opportunity to help even more people here in North America.”

Clean the World Canada Managing Director Pierre Daigneault has worked in the environmental sector since 2008 and is a long-time proponent of reducing carbon footprint through regional sustainability efforts.

“Opening an operations center in Montreal is a welcome addition to Clean the World’s global hygiene strategy,” Daigneault said. “This production facility enhances our ability to serve the homeless, our senior citizens, and the growing number of families seeking help from food banks here in Canada. It also provides a jumping-off point for Clean the World’s upcoming European expansion.”

In addition to promoting global hygiene through recycling and distributing hygiene supplies, Clean the World fulfills an environmental mission by collecting hotel waste that would otherwise go into landfills. The organization has diverted more than 3,800 tons of soap, shampoo, and other amenities from traditional disposal methods since 2009.

# # #

About Clean the World 
Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. The organization collects discarded soap and other hygiene products from more than 4,000 hotel and resort partners, and operates recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Montreal, and Hong Kong. Clean the World’s Global Soap Project promotes and provides hygiene education and microlending to make hand washing and local soap purchases a lifelong habit. Through its “ONE Project,” Clean the World provides hygiene kits to relief organizations throughout North America. Since 2009, more than 25 million bars of Clean the World soap have been distributed in 99 countries.

Clean the World and Global Soap Join Forces

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Executive directors unite: Shawn Seipler (left) of Clean the World, and Sam Stephens of Global Soap.

This is a monumental day in the Global Hygiene Revolution!

We are thrilled to announce that Clean the World and Global Soap have joined forces to improve even more lives through an integrated social enterprise. After six years of developing similar missions that focus on recycling soap and improving global health, we have unified under the Clean the World banner. This stronger, combined force allows us to multiply our impact.

This is a marriage of strengths. Clean the World now manages all the collection and recycling of soap and plastic bottles, while Global Soap focuses on soap distribution and hygiene education. Please see the press release below for more details.

Thank you for your continued support of Clean the World and Global Soap. With your help, we look forward to continuing the reduction of preventable hygiene-related illnesses and deaths, and delivering an exponential increase in social and environmental impact.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — (April 9, 2015) – The world’s only large-scale recyclers of hotel soap have combined their operations and charitable efforts. Clean the World and Global Soap have contributed to a 30 percent reduction in pre-adolescent deaths from hygiene-related illnesses since 2009. Now consolidated under the Clean the World banner, they join forces to improve even more lives through an integrated social enterprise.

The blended organization capitalizes on strengths developed separately by each group over the past six years. Under the new operating structure, Clean the World Foundation manages all soap and plastic bottle collection and recycling in North America, while Clean the World Asia oversees soap recycling in the Asia-Pacific region. Global Soap concentrates on strategic soap distribution and hygiene education programs that make a measurable, sustainable impact on global health.

“This is truly a situation where one plus one equals three,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Clean the World. “As a unified team, we will divert more trash from landfills, recycle and manufacture more soap, reach more people, and bring greater focus to the sustainable impact of our life-saving mission.”

For Global Soap, the mission continues to be creating a positive health impact that is sustained long-term by making hand washing and local soap purchases a lifelong habit.

“By joining forces with Clean the World, Global Soap can focus solely on improving global hygiene,” said Sam Stephens, Executive Director of Global Soap. “We can broaden our range of activities and expand our community-based hygiene programs, including micro-enterprise and micro-lending initiatives. The result will be a much stronger and more sustainable impact on global health.”

Seipler said the consolidation allows Clean the World to set the standard for finding solutions to social problems. “By sharing Clean the World’s experience and expertise with other social enterprises, we believe there can be an exponential increase in social and environmental impact.”

About Clean the World

Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. Clean the World operates soap recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas and Hong Kong, and leads the “Global Hygiene Revolution” to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 2,400 hotel and resort partners to children and families in countries with a high pre-adolescent death rate due to acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera) – which are two of the top killers of children under the age of 5. Since 2009, more than 23 million bars of Clean the World soap have been distributed in 99 countries. Through its “ONE Project,” Clean the World provides hygiene kits to relief organizations throughout North America.

About Global Soap

Global Soap’s mission is to improve global health by distributing soap that is recycled from more than 1,600 hotel partners, and working with leading health organizations to identify populations that most desperately need soap and hygiene education. Global Soap collaborates with those organizations to help distribute 100 percent of the soap to those who need it most. Through ongoing hygiene education, Global Soap ensures that recipients understand how, when and why to use soap to benefit from its life-saving properties.

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3 Industry Leaders Join Clean the World Board of Directors

NEWS RELEASE:

Clean the World announced this week that its board of directors appointed three new members. Sheryl Bonilla, Rob Candelino, and Ron Reese bring their public affairs and hygiene industry expertise to help guide the Global Hygiene Revolution.

Bonilla is Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for UPS. She focuses on health care policy and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), representing the Company’s interests before members of Congress and federal agencies.

Candelino is the Vice President of Marketing/General Manager for Unilever’s US Haircare business. In this capacity, he is responsible for some of America’s favorite beauty brands including TRESemme, Suave, Dove, Dove Men+Care and Nexxus.

Reese is the Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs for Las Vegas Sands Corp. He drives the overall corporate communications platform and directs corporate affairs initiatives that bring awareness to the company’s business and corporate citizenship achievements.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to have Sheryl, Rob and Ron join our board of directors,” said Clean the World founder and executive director Shawn Seipler. “They are highly respected leaders in their industries. Together with our existing board members, they will position us for further growth in 2015 as we continue our impactful mission of preventing millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses.”

With these additions, Clean the World’s board of directors now includes the following members:

  • Shawn Seipler – executive director, Clean the World Foundation
  • Nancy Bock –senior vice president, American Cleaning Institute
  • Sheryl Bonilla – Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for UPS
  • Robert Candelino – Vice President of Marketing/General Manager for Unilever’s US Haircare business
  • Ron Reese – Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs for Las Vegas Sands Corp.
  • Thom Reilly – executive director for the Caesars Foundation
  • Mark Rucker – vice president, lodging, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
  • Laura Schwartz – principal, White House Strategies

Clean the World Launches First Major Website Redesign

It’s not always easy to part with things that have been part of your life for a long time. A favorite pair of sneakers. Your first car.

Your first website.

We launched the original Clean the World website in 2009, and it served us well for more than five years. Thousands of hotel partners and volunteers learned about our programs on that site.

However, it remained essentially unchanged for more than five years. Sure, we made some cosmetic changes here and there, and added a few pages. But the core site never changed. Website technology has evolved a lot since 2009, and it was time for us to catch up.

So we launched CleanTheWorld.org 2.0 at the end of December. And we couldn’t be more proud.

The new site has sections designed specifically for the different types of supporters who visit us online:

  • Hotels
  • Corporate sponsors
  • Volunteers
  • Those interested in hygiene-kit events
  • Sponsors
  • Soap donors
  • People who want to join us on a distribution trip

Please spend a few minutes looking around the site. We hope you learn something new about the many opportunities we have for people to get involved with the global hygiene revolution.

Ebola Relief: Donate to Sponsor Soap Shipments to West Africa

With the spread of Ebola continuing to accelerate in West Africa, prevention focuses on avoiding contact with the virus. The Mayo Clinic says that, as with other infectious diseases, one of the most important preventive measures is frequent hand washing with soap and water.

Clean the World is responding to the need for hygiene supplies by shipping 5 million bars of soap to West Africa. Every dollar donated to Operation Soap Blitz provides 10 bars of soap to people in the countries affected by the Ebola virus.

We need your help. Please join the Global Hygiene Revolution by donating today.

 

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Clean the World Forms First B-Corp Under New Florida Law

Clean the World today formed the first benefit corporation, or “B Corp,” created under Florida’s new benefit corporation law. This law, just signed by Gov. Rick Scott and effective today, allows for a new type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

Clean the World’s social enterprise structure now includes a B-Corp that provides business services to Clean the World Foundation, a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization focused on eradicating two of the top killers of children worldwide: pneumonia and diarrheal disease. Clean the World serves that mission by collecting, recycling and distributing soap and other hygiene products discarded by the global hospitality industry.

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Press Release: Las Vegas Sands helps Clean the World Celebrate Launch of New Equipment

The following press release was issued by Las Vegas Sands Corp. earlier today:

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Las Vegas Sands helps Clean the World
Celebrate Launch of New Equipment

Company also announces community effort to build 100,000 hygiene kits
for use in Nevada and across America

LAS VEGAS – June 11, 2014 – Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and Clean the World, a not-for-profit global hygiene organization, today unveiled new manufacturing equipment at Clean the World’s Las Vegas facility that will help the organization double its production of recycled soap, helping people in need both domestically and around the globe.

At an event launching the new equipment, the two organizations also announced LVS’ underwriting of 100,000 Clean the World hygiene kits for distribution through the American Red Cross to local and national disaster victims and a mass community effort to build the kits at LVS’ Venetian and Palazzo properties in the coming months. The new soap recycling equipment and disaster relief kit build have been made possible as part of a $1 million corporate partnership between LVS and Clean the World in 2014 – the largest corporate donation in Clean the World’s history.

The new machinery unveiled today will sanitize and recycle enough soap gathered from Las Vegas-area hospitality properties to produce nearly 20,000 three-ounce bars of soap a day. With this equipment build-out, Clean the World will increase its soap production and distribution to more than 6.5 million bars of soap a year.

Since its establishment in 2009, Clean the World’s mission is to collect discarded hygiene products from hospitality companies, including Las Vegas Sands, recycle and sanitize them through an automated process and distribute to those in need around the world. Once delivered, the soap helps reduce the risk and spread of hygiene-related diseases, such as pneumonia, cholera and dysentery in more than 95 countries, including the United States.

“Today, we helped usher in an exciting expansion of Clean the World’s Las Vegas facility and it will have tremendous impact on the organization’s ability to give a simple bar of soap to people throughout Nevada who don’t have this basic luxury,” said Michael Leven, LVS president and chief operating officer. “Clean the World has been an innovative leader in helping impoverished people, demonstrating how a smart sustainable idea can impact people’s lives.”

LVS team members also participated in today’s event, by building hygiene kits that will go to help vulnerable people served by the Las Vegas Rescue Mission; Shade Tree, which provides shelter and support for women, children and their pets; and Three Square, which is Southern Nevada’s only food bank that provides food assistance in Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda and Clark counties. In total, Las Vegas LVS team members will build 8,000 hygiene kits for these three organizations as part of the company’s overall commitment to Clean the World.

“Thanks to the valued commitment and partnership from Las Vegas Sands, this new equipment elevates Clean the World’s mission to a higher level and greatly expands our reach,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and executive director of Clean the World. “The soap that leaves our Las Vegas facility will make its way into shelters and other service organizations to provide support for people in need in Las Vegas and as well as to global communities where simple hygiene can mean the difference between life and death.”

LVS has partnered with Clean the World since 2011, successfully diverting more than 50 tons of waste from LVS properties that resulted in more than 550,000 bars of recycled soap. The Clean the World partnership is part of the company’s larger global corporate citizenship program, Sands Cares. Launched in April, the program brings together the company’s corporate social responsibility priorities: supporting people in the company and the hospitality industry, making local communities where LVS operates a better place to live, and reducing environmental impact on the planet.

For more information about Sands Cares and key initiatives, please visit www.sandscares.sands.com.

About Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is the world’s leading developer and operator of Integrated Resorts. Our collection of Integrated Resorts in Asia and the United States feature state-of-the-art convention and exhibition facilities, premium accommodations, world-class gaming and entertainment, destination retail and dining including celebrity chef restaurants, and many other amenities.

Our properties include the five-diamond Venetian and Palazzo resorts and Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Sands Bethlehem in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd., LVS owns a portfolio of properties on the Cotai Strip in Macao, including The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao and Sands Cotai Central, as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao Peninsula.

LVS is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen, anchored by the core tenets of delivering a great working environment for nearly 50,000 employees worldwide, driving impact through its Sands Cares corporate citizenship program and leading innovation with the company’s award-winning Sands ECO360° global sustainability program. To learn more, please visit www.sands.com.

Contacts:
Ron Reese
(702) 414-3607

Ciara Matthews
(702) 414-4765

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Business Awards of Macau Recognize Clean the World

Less than a year after expanding into Asia, Clean the World had the honor of being recognized by the Business Awards of Macau. Noting our efforts to reduce the amount of waste bound for landfills, judges selected Clean the World for the Excellence Award in the Environmental Performance category.

In its second year, the Business Awards of Macau promote the best achievements of companies and individuals that have made exceptional contributions toward the development of Macau. The program honors leadership, talent, innovation, corporate social responsibility, and strategic accomplishments. It provides an opportunity for the Macau business community to show off their achievements to society. Participation in the awards is open to all individuals, businesses of all sizes and from all sectors, and other relevant organizations that conduct activities in Macau on a permanent basis.

Expanding into a new region presents more than a few challenges, but we were lucky to have assistance from so many helpful partners, including Sands, The Peninsula, Mandarin and Conrad. Thanks to everyone and all the organizations supporting the Global Hygiene Revolution in Asia.

Visit the Business Awards of Macau website for more information.

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Grand Opening of Clean the World’s New Hong Kong Recycling Center

Clean the World rolled out the red carpet at a new Recycling Operations Center in Hong Kong on Wednesday. This new, expanded facility is outfitted with a complete production line to turn discarded hotel soap into clean new bars. Soap from hotel partners in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore will flow into the Hong Kong facility.

Along with founder Shawn Seipler and chief strategy officer Michael O’Quinn, Clean the World Asia managing director Jolene Han welcomed guests and provided tours of the facility. Visitors included executives from Sands, The Peninsula, Mandarin and Conrad.

This new production line and our expanded footprint in Asia would not have happened without the generous support of Las Vegas Sands Corp. A $1 million corporate citizenship donation announced last month provided funds for additional growth both in the United States and internationally.

Sands properties in Macau have contributed more than 40,000 pounds of discarded soap, which will be converted into 100,000 recycled bars. The soap will be distributed to people who are at high risk of contracting hygiene-related illnesses.

Assisting Jolene in the Hong Kong center are logistics partner Otto Wang, and manufacturing partner Alan Choy.

A red carpet welcome for visitors to our Hong Kong Recycling Operations Center.

Chief Strategy Officer Michael O’Quinn making sure the recycled soap bars meet our high quality standards.

Clean the World founder Shawn Seipler (right) greeted guests and offered tours.
Guests got a first-hand look at how Clean the World converts trash to life-saving treasure.

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BungoBox Co-Founder Tom Cannon Joins Clean the World as CMO

The following press release was issued today by Clean the World:
ORLANDO, FL. — (May. 6, 2014) – After growing his moving-box rental company to 20 markets across North America in just five years, BungoBox co-founder Tom Cannon is bringing his knack for innovative marketing to Clean the World. Cannon is the new chief marketing officer for the rapidly growing social enterprise, which recycles soap and bottled amenities from more than 2,000 hotel partners in North America and Asia.
Cannon was instrumental in the launch of three successful companies, and has held executive-level positions in sales, marketing, management, manufacturing, and distribution. He currently serves on the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors, and is one of the founding organizers of the annual Startup Weekend Orlando event.
Clean the World’s simple mission is to recycle hotel soap and save lives by putting hygiene products in the hands of those who need them most. About 2 million children under the age of 5 die every year due to hygiene-related illnesses. Hand washing with soap is a low-cost intervention that can reduce those deaths by almost 50 percent. Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 17 million bars of soap in 96 countries.
“Tom started BungoBox in 2009 at about the same time we founded our organization,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Clean the World. “We often compared notes and shared our experiences with each other over the years, because both companies have a sustainability focus. Clean the World is in a major growth phase right now. So when Tom told me he was looking for a new challenge, I knew immediately that he was the perfect person to guide our overall marketing strategy along with international expansion efforts.”
After building one revolutionary business, Cannon looks forward to using his experience to help Clean the World save more lives with soap.
“At BungoBox, we introduced consumers to a new way of moving by using durable, stackable, sustainable plastic boxes,” Cannon said. “Clean the World created the market and set the standard for soap and bottled amenity recycling. However, there is still a massive opportunity here in North America and in untapped markets around the globe. Hospitality professionals in many parts of the world still aren’t familiar with this alternative to landfill disposal. We are about to change that.”
About Clean the World
Clean the World is a social enterprise with the mission of saving millions of lives around the world. Clean the World leads a Global Hygiene Revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 2,000 hotel and resort partners to children and families in countries with a high death rate due to acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera) – which are two of the top killers of children under 5. Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 17 million bars of soap in 96 countries. Through the “ONE Project,” Clean the World provides hygiene kits to relief organizations throughout North America. More information: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld
CONTACT:
John Terry
Clean the World
jterry@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com
407-574-8353 Ext. 104
# # #

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Las Vegas Sands Press Release Announces Partnership

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Announces Multimillion-Dollar Corporate Partnerships
with University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Clean the World

Company’s New Corporate Citizenship Program Designed to Make Global Impact,
While Better Addressing Needs of Local Communities
LAS VEGAS – April 3, 2014 – Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) today announced a new global corporate citizenship commitment, highlighted by signature global partnerships with the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the international nonprofit organization, Clean the World.

The world’s premier developer and operator of integrated resort destinations, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), will contribute $7 million to the UNLV hotel college over five years to develop a global professional and executive education program and assist in the construction of a new academic building, as well as $1 million to Clean the World in 2014, the largest corporate gift in the nonprofit’s history. Clean the World collects and recycles discarded hygiene products from hospitality companies and distributes them to those in need in more than 70 countries who are at risk for life-threatening, but highly preventable, hygiene-related diseases, such as pneumonia, cholera and dysentery.

Both commitments are part of LVS’ new global corporate citizenship program, Sands Cares, which manifests the company’s core corporate social responsibility focus: supporting people in the company and the hospitality industry, making local communities where LVS operates a better place to live, and reducing environmental impact on the planet.

In addition to the global partnerships, Sands Cares provides a more cohesive approach to corporate giving and support in local communities where Las Vegas Sands operates. The company will fine-tune its efforts to address the most pressing issues in its local communities through property-level support of initiatives that make local communities more livable and attract people to the area. Sands Cares is also designed to highlight and reinforce the tremendous charitable achievements already taking place across the company’s different properties around the world.

“LVS is committed to creating positive and tangible benefits in the areas we care most about – our team members, our industry, the local communities we call home, and our planet,” said Michael Leven, LVS president and chief operating officer. “Sands Cares and our work with UNLV and Clean the World will impact all of these focus areas. With this corporate commitment uniting our teams around the globe, we will truly make a difference on some very important initiatives.”

UNLV Partnership
The LVS commitment to UNLV’s hotel college enables a first-of-its-kind global Center for International Hospitality and Gaming Education, an elite educational program intended to provide a variety of professional education assets to hospitality professionals in Las Vegas, Singapore and Macao, where LVS has significant presence, as well as in emerging markets. The Center will deliver curriculum that enables working professionals to obtain the skills and knowledge necessary for advancing their careers, positioning UNLV as the world’s premier educational leader in the hospitality and gaming industry.

The LVS funding also supports construction of UNLV’s new Hospitality Hall, which will offer world-class educational facilities to build stronger links between the hospitality industry and the UNLV hotel college. Matched with state funding, the building is anticipated to be complete in fall 2017.

“With LVS’ support, we are setting the global standard in hospitality and gaming education and development of the industry’s future leaders and scholars,” said Stowe Shoemaker, dean of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. “These endeavors are vital for continuing UNLV’s leadership and building an environment that enhances the learning styles of tomorrow’s students, creating a truly global classroom.”

Clean the World Partnership
LVS’ extended partnership with Clean the World will significantly accelerate the organization’s unique mission to turn waste into life-saving hygiene products and marks a considerable expansion of LVS’ existing relationship with the nonprofit organization. Since 2011, Clean the World and LVS have diverted more than 52 tons of waste from LVS properties, resulting in more than 367,000 bars of recycled soap for needy populations.

In 2014, LVS is investing a myriad of resources to help increase Clean the World’s impact both in the United States and internationally, as well as to the communities where LVS operates to provide hygiene supplies for underserved populations. The partnership includes underwriting and team member volunteer time to build thousands of hygiene kits for distribution to homeless shelters and resource centers in local communities where LVS operates, as well as support for building 100,000 hygiene kits specifically earmarked for disaster relief efforts around the world. In addition, LVS will host a series of soap distribution trips, in which its team members help Clean the World distribute soap in international destinations while providing hygiene education. Finally, LVS’ financial commitment will underwrite critical manufacturing equipment in Las Vegas and Asia, allowing Clean the World to double its global soap production and distribution to more than 6.5 million bars of soap annually.

“This partnership is monumental for our mission to propel the global hygiene revolution,” said Shawn Seipler, co-founder and executive director of Clean the World. “LVS’ willingness to step beyond the normal product recycling partnership shows a deep commitment to this cause. It’s a win-win for reducing impact on the environment while helping homeless and impoverished populations, as well as disaster victims, gain access to simple products that can make a big impact on their lives.”

Beyond the expanded partnerships with UNLV and Clean the World, LVS has established a number of global and local programs as part of Sands Cares to further support the company’s corporate citizenship goals. Initiatives include a mix of team member volunteerism, charitable partnerships in local communities and extension of LVS’ award-winning on-property global sustainability program, Sands ECO360°, into communities.

For more information about Sands Cares and key initiatives, please visit www.sandscares.sands.com.

About Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is the world’s leading developer and operator of Integrated Resorts. Our collection of Integrated Resorts in Asia and the United States feature state-of-the-art convention and exhibition facilities, premium accommodations, world-class gaming and entertainment, destination retail and dining including celebrity chef restaurants, and many other amenities.

Our properties include the five-diamond Venetian and Palazzo resorts and Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Sands Bethlehem in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd., LVS owns a portfolio of properties on the Cotai Strip in Macao, including The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao and Sands Cotai Central, as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao Peninsula.

LVS is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen, anchored by the core tenets of delivering a great working environment for nearly 50,000 employees worldwide, driving impact through its Sands Cares corporate citizenship program and leading innovation with the company’s award-winning Sands ECO360° global sustainability program. To learn more, please visit www.sands.com.

Contacts:
Ron Reese
(702) 414-3607

Ciara Matthews
(702) 414-4765

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Celebrating Global Handwashing Day (a Day Early)

Tomorrow (Oct. 15) is Global Handwashing Day 2013.

One of the lessons shared during GHD is that teachers have the power to reduce absenteeism in their classrooms through promoting hand washing with soap. So we started our celebration a day early by delivering 500 soap packets to Nap Ford Community School, which is just down the street from Clean the World headquarters in Orlando.

Nap Ford Community School is a K-5 charter school with a particular focus on health and. The school serves 125 students, more than 93 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch. Tomorrow we will deliver 500 packets of soap to Rock Lake Elementary.

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Providing On-Site CSR Opportunities at the Orange County Convention Center

The Orange County Convention Center recently issued this press release regarding our partnership. Clean the World is now the in-house provider for Corporate Social Responsibility events at the OCCC.

Orange County Convention Center Creates 
In-House Corporate Social Responsibility Opportunity for Visiting Organizations

ORLANDO, Fla. — (July 1, 2013) – The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) has partnered with Clean the World Foundation, Inc., to provide visiting groups an on-site option for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) events.

An increasing number of organizations visiting Orlando wish to make a positive impact on our community where they gather for their conventions and tradeshows. Through Clean the World’s ONE Project, meeting planners can unite the fortunate with the less fortunate.

Attendees collaborate to build hygiene kits for disadvantaged people. Kits include bars of recycled soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a washcloth and an inspirational message. They are distributed to shelters, missions, schools or disaster relief efforts of the client’s choice.

Visiting groups can elect to donate hygiene kits to a number of homeless, educational and food bank organizations in Central Florida. Potential recipients include the Salvation Army; Coalition for the Homeless, Gift for Teaching, Back to School is Cool, Second Harvest and Christian Relief Services. Since 2009, Clean the World and its outreach partners have distributed more than 250,000 hygiene kits to those in need.

“The implementation of CSR has become widely adopted as more and more companies find tangible value in volunteer activities,” said Kathie Canning, executive director for the OCCC. “With ONE Project, Clean the World provides the perfect way for organizations to integrate a volunteer program on property as part of team building activities while offering much needed help to local community groups.”

Clean the World’s mission is to save lives by distributing hygiene products to domestic homeless shelters and impoverished countries suffering from high death rates due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. Those illnesses are respectively the No. 1 and No. 2 killers of children under the age of 5.

“While distributing more than 13 million soap bars in nearly 70 countries since 2009, we also saw a huge need for soap and hygiene products right here at home,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Orlando-based Clean the World. “That led us to develop the ONE Project. And because we got our start right here in Orlando, it’s exciting for us to get this support and vote of confidence from our friends at the Orange County Convention Center.”

About Clean the World Clean the World Foundation Inc. is a social enterprise with the mission of saving millions of lives around the globe. Clean the World leads a global hygiene revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from nearly 2,000 hospitality partners to children and families in countries suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 13 million bars of soap in nearly 70 countries. Through the “ONE Project,” Clean the World provides hygiene kits to the homeless and families in transition throughout North America. For more information visit: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld.

About the Orange County Convention Center Celebrating 30 years of success, the Orange County Convention Center is the second largest convention facility in America. Each year the OCCC attracts more than 200 events to the Central Florida area. As a result, roughly 1.4 million attendees contribute approximately $2.1 billion to the area’s economy each year. For more information about the Orange County Convention Center visit our Web site at www.occc.net.

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New Developments in Customer Service

One of the most amazing things about the Global Hygiene Revolution is that we now have 2,000 hotels participating in Clean the World’s hospitality recycling program. That is something we never could have imagined five years ago.

Every one of those 2,000 properties needs collection bins, shipping labels and training material. That’s why in the upcoming months, all our partners will get to know Sherry Smith and her team of customer service representatives. Sherry joined Clean the World in August as the director of customer service. She has nearly 20 years of experience in customer service, and she is no stranger to the challenges of working in a rapidly growing organization.

“I started off as a customer service representative with Fujifim in 1996,” Sherry said. “The Orlando lab was very small at the time. We processed around a thousand rolls of film per week. I was promoted to customer service manager about six months after starting. And within three weeks of my promotion, the company acquired a contract to process film for Walmart.”
The sleepy little lab that previously processed a thousand rolls per week was suddenly processing 5,000 rolls every night. That is when Sherry learned how to build a customer service operation that could scale with the company’s growth.
“I started from the bottom and learned how to deal with a huge call volume,” Sherry said. “My department went from two reps to 11 within a three-month period. When I took the manager job, they told me they were about to close the deal with Walmart. They said it would have a big impact on us, but I had no idea HOW big the impact would be.”
Now all the lessons she learned during that baptism by fire are being applied at Clean the World.
One of the challenges Sherry sees at Clean the World is that the customer service department hasn’t been able to keep up with the number of hotel partners coming on board. That means we end up relying more on e-mail than picking up the phone and talking to people.
“When you lose that personal contact, you don’t always know what’s going on with your customers,” Sherry said. “We’re changing that by adding more representatives. After a new partner gets through the implementation process, we set a reminder for another rep to follow up with a phone call a month later.”
She says that process will continue until everyone in the department has had a call with a customer, then they will start all over again. That way our hotel partners can get to know everybody on the team.
When she’s not on the phone with customers, Sherry is very involved with breast cancer awareness. She also likes to ride a Harley Davidson or zip 30 miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast for some off-shore fishing. You know – the kind of stuff she has more time for now that all three of her kids are in college. 
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Behind the Scenes at Clean the World: Danny Simmons

Here’s a little free advice for executives and business leaders: If you’re looking for a knowledgeable, passionate expert to describe your product or service, maybe you should walk right on past your sales team and go talk to a few people in the warehouse. Or on the production floor. Or in the driver’s lounge.

Danny Simmons (click for larger version)
Danny Simmons is the assistant operations manager in Clean the World’s Orlando warehouse facility, and he will succinctly explain our mission to anyone who is interested.
“When family and friends ask me what Clean the World does, I tell them we are a non-profit organization that recycles hotel soap and bottled amenities,” Danny said. “We send the products to other countries to help save lives. I explain that due to the poverty in those places, they don’t have access to the things we can get. We try to make life easier for them.”
There you have it. Danny offers an easy-to-digest explanation that describes what we do in just a few sentences. No PowerPoint deck required.
Danny is a valuable utility player who is trained to work in all aspects of the recycling process. He tracks shipments in and out of the warehouse, sorts soap, operates production machinery, works on the packaging line and drives a forklift. His colleagues think so highly of him that Danny was named Employee of the Quarter earlier this year.
Before joining us three years ago, Danny wasn’t familiar with Clean the World. However, it wasn’t long before he became one of our biggest fans.
“Once I got involved and found out how lives can be saved with soap, it inspired me,” Danny said. “I saw how we help people in places like Haiti and Guatemala, and I saw how we change lives. I have opportunities here in this country. I have clean water and soap. I have food to eat. But I know there are people struggling, and this is a way I can help make it better for them. So I love what I’m doing.”
Danny says one of his favorite things about Clean the World is the people. He likes the fact that everyone is friendly and easy to get along with. Unlike a lot of people at other companies, Danny isn’t one to grumble about going to his job.
“I don’t have that problem. I love going to work. The people here are my second family, and I’m happy to be part of it. I’m working for a purpose. And when I go home at night I’m proud of what I did, because I produced some soap and saved some lives.”
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Operations Now Underway in Hong Kong and Macao

The Global Hygiene Revolution.

The “global” part of that phrase can be a little challenging because the world is a pretty big place. However, at Clean the World we constantly work toward finding new partners and implementing solutions to help us combat hygiene-related illnesses around the globe.

The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel

That’s why we joined with Sands China Ltd. to serve the hospitality industry in Macao and Hong Kong. This is the first presence in Asia for Clean the World. The Cotai Strip Resort and Sands Macao are key sponsors for this vital environmental and lifesaving initiative by participating with 10,000 guest rooms across their properties.

Mark McWhinnie is the Senior Vice President of Operations at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel and Sands Cotai Central. This is what Mark said in a press release distributed in China: “With the vast number of hotel rooms in Macao and Hong Kong, there is an enormous opportunity for the hospitality industry to recycle soap that will help people in our region and around the world. Clean the World provides soap in countries where there is a high incidence of death from hygiene-related illnesses. They also have programs to support our local charities, as well as disaster relief response for major weather events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and typhoons.”

It’s so great to have Sands China as a key supporter in Asia. The company’s support allows us to establish a presence in the region and support environmental and hygiene initiatives in Hong Kong and Macao. At Clean the World’s new soap cleansing and recycling facility in Hong Kong, we expect to collect and recycle 100 metric tons of soap in the first year.

Clean the World Company, Ltd. runs the Macao operations, while Clean the World, Ltd. operates in Hong Kong. Together they are known as “Clean the World – Asia, ” and are led by Shailesh Adhav, who is the Managing Director, Clean the World – Asia.

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Focused on the Story of How Soap Saves Lives

Robert Bahret got more than a typical “Happy New Year” when Clean the World CEO Shawn Seipler called him at the beginning of 2012. That call launched Bahret on a new career path – and landed him in a new state just a few days later.

“Shawn wanted me to run the facility in Las Vegas and help move it to a new location,” Bahret said. “There were some issues with the original crew in that shop and things weren’t going well.”
It was like a homecoming for Bahret, who was part of the original crew that launched Clean the World in 2009. His primary responsibility early on was shooting video to document the growth of this new social enterprise. But with a small group of about eight people, it was all hands on deck for everything from operations to partner relations. So along with everyone else, Bahret learned about soap recycling from the ground up.
He left for about a year to pursue another opportunity, but was eager to come back when the organization needed him. His official return date was Jan. 6, 2012, and on Jan. 13 he arrived in Las Vegas with Kevin Williams, who relocated from the Orlando operations center.
The new two-man Vegas crew jumped right in to ensure our partners were receiving the level of customer service they expect from Clean the World. They found a new, larger facility and coordinated the move. Then they settled into a regular routine with Bahret running the shop while Williams drove the collection routes.
As more properties came on board, Bahret hit the road to help with collecting soap and bottled amenities. And when they a little extra time on their hands, the two transplants sorted bottled amenities that could be sent back to Orlando and included in ONE Project hygiene kits.
Things settled down a bit after Shae Hagen joined the Las Vegas team as volunteer coordinator. By August, Bahret was back in Orlando. A stint in the Operations department gave him a chance to get familiar with all the machines on the production line.
From there Bahret transitioned to the Digital Media department and provided support for Clean the World’s many video production projects. It marked a return to the work that fits in with his original 2009 goal, which is to help create a Clean the World documentary.
It’s a long-term goal. And that’s a good thing because Oscar Gonzalez from Customer Service recently tagged Bahret and asked him to come over and help out on his team.
“Oscar’s department was down one person. I figured that was the last piece of the puzzle for my complete Clean the World orientation, because I’ve pretty much done everything else: logistics, media, operations – and now customer service.”
But the documentary is something Bahret always thinks about.
“The potential is there to do something great. It’s such a great story. I imagine it being featured on the History Channel or National Geographic. Slowly but surely we’re getting there.”
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Clean the World Adds 2 New Board Members

Today Clean the World issued this press release announcing the addition of two new members to our board of directors.

Clean the World Adds 2 New Board Members 

Laura Schwartz and Kelly Cohen to Help Promote Life-Saving Mission 
ORLANDO, Fla. — (April 2, 2013) – Clean the World announces the appointment of former White House director of events Laura Schwartz and government relations consultant Kelly Cohen to the non-profit’s board of directors. The organization helps save lives around the world by collecting and recycling soap and shampoo products discarded by the hospitality industry in North America and Macau, China.

Schwartz produced more than 1,000 events as the White House director of events for the Clinton administration, and is now a professional speaker, television commentator and author of the best seller Eat, Drink & Succeed. She appears on screens and stages all over the world motivating people to succeed both professionally and personally.

“I am inspired by the staff, volunteers and partners of Clean the World who truly are saving lives and revolutionizing hygiene at home and abroad,” Schwartz said. “It is an honor to be part of Clean the World’s critical mission, which has distributed more than 12 million bars of soap in over 65 countries while creating pivotal partnerships, and diverted more than 750 tons of landfill waste in the U.S. alone.”

Schwartz is a member of the National Speakers Association, and serves on the boards of the American Heart Association and Event Solutions magazine. In recognition of her commitment to service, she was named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Chicago” by Today’s Chicago Woman magazine, and one of Chicago’s “5 Most Bold and Beautiful” by Chicago magazine. Among other honors, Schwartz is the recipient of the Kemble Leadership Foundation Award for Excellence, and the Leadership in Education award from American University in Washington, D.C.
Cohen is the managing partner of Southern Strategy Group’s Orlando office. She is recognized as a forceful advocate for clients, with her primary focus on local and state government, transportation, land use, economic development, public-private partnerships, and business development. Having worked closely with leaders at the local, state and federal level, Cohen understands the importance of the intersection between policy and politics, and brings a unique understanding of the market. She has been recognized as the Woman of the Year for Orlando Business Journal‘s “40 under 40” and in Orlando Magazine‘s annual list of “50 Most Powerful People” in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
“Living and working in downtown Orlando, I am proud to have Clean the World in my back yard,” Cohen said. “It has been amazing to see first hand how this local charity is making a global impact, growing from a handful of local properties four years ago to nearly 2000 today. I’m honored to join the board of directors, and look forward to engaging Florida’s business and political leaders in our effort to save lives with soap.”
Clean the World co-founder and CEO Shawn Seipler says the new board members bring immeasurable value to Clean the World through their connections and diversity.
“With their help, the awareness we’ve created in the hospitality industry can be replicated in the political, corporate and philanthropic arenas regionally, nationally and globally,” Seipler said.
With the addition of Schwartz and Cohen, Clean the World’s board of directors now comprises eight members:
Shawn Seipler – executive director, Clean the World Foundation
Paul Till – managing director, Clean the World Foundation
Mark Rucker – vice president, lodging, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
Kelly Cohen – managing partner, Southern Strategy Group
Laura Schwartz – principal, White House Strategies
Bob Scaglione – former chief marketing officer, Sharp Electronics
Dr. Paul J. Skomsky – DDS
Peter Caparis – founder, Sonoma Soap Company
About Clean the World 
Clean the World Foundation Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization with the mission of saving millions of lives around the globe. Clean the World leads a global hygiene revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 1,700 hospitality partners to children and families suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 12 million bars of soap. Through the “ONE Project” launched in late 2012, Clean the World provides hygiene kits domestically to the homeless and families in transition. For more information visit: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld.
CONTACT:
Scott Chapman
Clean the World
(407) 574-8353 ext. 101
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Clean the World Employee Sees the Big Picture

Chris Mares was just looking for a job when he came to work at Clean the World, but he found a lot more. Recycling soap in the operations department opened up an opportunity for him to flex his artistic muscles and make the Orlando production facility a nicer place for employees and visitors. 

When co-founders Shawn Seipler and Paul Till found out that Chris had an interest in painting and a formal art education, they gave him the green light. 
On the facility’s back wall, Chris painted a large mural depicting the Clean the World logo and the flags of every country where soap has been distributed.
“A lot of what I’ve done is still a work in progress,” Chris said. “For example, the big mural on the back wall started off as just a logo and the background. I studied it for about two months and then thought about all the dead space around the logo. I thought it needed something else. I got the idea from military insignias on uniforms that indicate where soldiers have served. That inspired me to paint the flags of all the countries where we have distributed soap. When it started there were 15 or 20, now we have more than 60.”
Other pieces painted by the Kansas native include a large area that lists the names of donors, and a massive space near the soap press where he painted the logo, a series of bubbles and the slogan, “Recycling Soap Saves Lives.”
Chris was blessed with natural artistic talent, and went on to hone his skills at the San Francisco Art Institute. While studying there he got his first taste of large-format painting after landing a job with an interior designer who was the sole occupant of a four-story building.
“He commissioned me to paint a sign on the outside of building. The sign was was 40 feet high and was executed from a scaffold. I painted a chair that was 30 feet high – and 10-foot letters. It took several months and was a great experience.”
Chris went on to graduate with straight A’s from the Kansas City Art Institute, where he was allowed to skip a semester and graduate early. After becoming a father, however, he decided to go in a different career direction.
“With a family, I couldn’t fathom how I could make a living with art,” Chris said. “So I went into the construction business. I stuck with it and became a mason. Once I began laying stone it really went nuts because I was back into artistic composition. I had such a good time with that.”
When the economy dipped and construction was on the decline, Chris spent some time building interstate bridges in downtown Orlando.
“Whenever I drive past the 408 and I-4 interchange, I point to those bridges and tell whoever is with me that I’ve been on, in and under every one of them.”
Now that his kids are grown, Chris is excited to embrace his artistic side again.
“I didn’t expect this to happen when I came to work here, but it began to emerge over time,” Chris said. “I was looking for ways to help out within the context of my experience. The warehouse really did need some aesthetic improvement. Luckily there is still a long way to go. I can stay busy with this project for quite a while.”
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AH&LA Partners With Clean the World

The American Hotel & Lodging Association issued this press release regarding our partnership:

AH&LA PARTNERS WITH CLEAN THE WORLD

Members receive savings through soap, bottled amenities recycling

Washington, February 11, 2013 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has joined forces with Clean the World Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that collects and recycles used soap and bottled amenities from hotels, to offer AH&LA members an exclusive additional five percent discount per room.
More than 1,700 hotels across North America currently participate in the program. Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 12 million bars of soap to homeless shelters and in countries suffering from high death rates due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease, the top killers of children under the age of five.

Properties that participate in the initiative receive a quarterly impact statement detailing the total weight of the amenities shipped and an Interactive Impact Calculator that calculates the lifesaving impact of their donations. Hotels also are given bilingual training posters (English and Spanish) and access to an online training video for housekeeping staff. Information cards are available for guestrooms, as well as plaques that can be displayed in the lobby educating guests on the program. Additionally, hotels can organize soap drives for their communities, in addition to other volunteer opportunities.

“Clean the World’s innovative combination of green sustainability and humanitarian efforts already has attracted support from many hotel chains and resorts,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney, CHA. “We are pleased to be able to offer our members an additional discount to participate in such a worthy program.”

“The North American hospitality industry puts more than 300 tons of soap and plastic bottles in local landfills every day,” said Clean the World CEO/Co-founder Shawn Seipler. “With this partnership, we are eager to increase the industry’s awareness of our socially-responsible recycling programs and engage more hotel companies and individual properties in our efforts to both prevent needless waste and provide essential hygiene items, as well as stem the tide of deaths due to lack of proper hygiene.”

For additional information and to participate in the program, visit www.ahla.com/green.

# # #
Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom-line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members. Visit www.ahla.com.
Clean the World Foundation Inc,. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization with the mission of saving millions of lives around the globe. Clean the World leads a global hygiene revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 1,700 hospitality partners to children and families suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 12 million bars of soap. Through the “ONE project” launched in late 2012, Clean the World provides hygiene kits domestically to the homeless and families in transition. For more information, visit www.cleantheworld.org.
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Crystal Keeps the Soap on the Road

One of the things hotels love about working with Clean the World is that we provide them with printed, pre-paid shipping labels. When a collection bin is full, all a hospitality partner has to do is seal it, apply the shipping label and wait for UPS to pick it up.

With housekeepers collecting soap at more than 1,700 hotels and inns across North America, we move a lot of bins from the properties to our facilities in Orlando and Las Vegas. And that means we print a lot of shipping labels. As a matter of fact, we can tell you exactly how many labels we printed in 2012.
42,528!
And they were all prepared and printed by one person: Crystal Bowdery.

Crystal has been with Clean the World since April of 2011. She started on our Operations team and worked her way up to Customer Service. This logistics wizard provides all our partners with labels for inbound shipping, and also sends out the replacement bins so collections can continue. And if that’s not enough, Crystal handles issues such as lost packages and claims.

All of Crystal’s hard work supports our sustainability efforts, because Clean the World participates in the UPS carbon neutral shipping program. Read more about the program on the UPS website.

Thanks, Crystal, for everything you do!

Are you interested in learning more about some aspect of Clean the World? Tell us in a comment below and we might write a feature based on your suggestion.

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Sometimes it’s Hard to be Humble

If you took every bar of soap distributed by Clean the World in 2012 and put them end-to-end, they would stretch from our headquarters in downtown Orlando all the way up Interstate 4 to Daytona Beach, on up Interstate 95 to the Courtyard Jacksonville Mayo Clinic/Beaches – and then around the parking lot a few times.

Last year we distributed more than THREE MILLION bars of lifesaving soap to children and families in developing countries around the world, and to shelters right here at home.
There is a lot to be said for staying humble. However, we really want to share the news about our 2012 results. This is a quick rundown of Clean the World’s impact last year:

     – 3,200,050 bars of soap distributed
     – 1,690,390 bottles distributed
     – 76,986 hygiene kits distributed
     – 1,267,872 pounds of product collected
     – 122,000 pounds of plastic recycled

Here’s to doing even more in 2013!

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HR Manager Has Personal Connection With Soap Recycling

Astrid Zelaya grew up in a place where many people lacked basic hygiene necessities, which is why she is such a big supporter of Clean the World. Currently a human resources manager at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando, Astrid spent most of her life in Honduras.

Her family was luckier than many because Astrid’s father worked for Chiquita Bananas in Honduras. It wasn’t easy to support six daughters on his salary, but the family had everything they needed.

“I didn’t suffer, but I saw suffering in the people around us,” said Astrid. “I went to different fields where farmers grew bananas, and it was so hard for me to understand why I had everything in my house and they didn’t. These other families lived just five kilometers away, but it was a different world.”

Although Astrid’s family lived in the banana fields, the company provided a nice house with all the modern conveniences and accommodations. However, nearby farmers who didn’t work for the company lived in small homes without showers and they bathed in the river. When visiting those fields with her father, Astrid saw children without clothes or shoes. At the tender age of 7, this realization had a significant affect on her.

“I asked my parents why people lived that way,” said Astrid. “So they started collecting the clothes we outgrew, and I enjoyed going to those little aldeas, which is what we call the small towns, and giving them things that were still in good condition. They were so happy with what they received. So I have that memory from my childhood.”

Astrid’s desire to help others stayed with her when she went to college and earned a degree in industrial engineering. She worked with other students to collect clothing and food, which they would deliver to various aldeas on Saturdays as a community service.

In the years following college, Astrid worked in Honduras and traveled internationally for business while her family relocated to the United States. Her father’s declining health eventually prompted Astrid to come to the U.S. as well.

“When I came here, I applied to I sent out so many resumes,” said Astrid. “No one was calling me for an interview because I didn’t have experience here. Then one day I was in front of the Nickelodeon Suites Resort, and I loved the colors and loved that it was a family hotel. I just thought it would be an amazing place for me. So I stopped.”

At the time, the hotel was looking for someone to run the laundry facility. That was an interesting stroke of luck, because Astrid previously spent eight years in the garment industry. She worked for a company that operated an industrial laundry facility in Honduras. The facility washed denim pants manufactured there for American clothing brands.

After she was well into her career in the garment industry, Astrid earned a degree in human resources and went to work as a consultant. So when she came to the United States, the job at Nickelodeon Suites was a match made in heaven.

Astrid accepted an offer from Nickelodeon to work as the laundry supervisor. While working with the laundry team, which was primarily staffed by Haitian immigrants, she noticed employees opening up folded washcloths to remove bars of soap which were set aside. That was her first exposure to Clean the World. The staff explained that the used soap was recycled and sent back to their country.

In 2008 the hotel had an opening in human resources and Astrid moved on from the laundry facility. By that time she had great relationships with people on the operations side of the hotel – and a strong appreciation for Clean the World’s mission.

Astrid also was selected to head up the company’s Green Committee. Her first goal was to secure a green designation for Nickelodeon Suites. Within a year, the Nickelodeon Suites Resort was recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with a Green Lodging Certification for environmentally friendly hotel practices.

Between her HR position and her duties with the Green Committee, Astrid gets the opportunity to work with many members of the hotel’s housekeeping staff. She sees how proud they are to be part of the Global Hygiene Revolution by collecting soap for Clean the World.

“When they come back in the afternoon with a bag full of soap, they are so excited about what they have collected,” said Astrid. “They smile because they know the bins are filling up. We connect on this issue because we all come from poor countries. We have all seen it. And that is why our housekeepers have the commitment to help Clean the World. They know it makes a difference for their people.”

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Closing Argument and Supporting Superstorm Sandy Victims

One week ago the country heard the closing arguments from politicians. Now, it’s Clean the World’s turn. We need your fuel. And so do the victims of Superstorm Sandy.

This is the closing argument from Clean the World CEO Shawn Seipler:

Every dollar donated to Clean the World’s Rocket Hub campaign will send one hygiene kit to a Sandy victim. Clean the World just sent 3,000 hygiene kits this week to be distributed by our partner, World Vision.

For more information, please read the blog post on our relief efforts.
Why should you fuel Clean the World’s Rocket Hub Campaign?

– The Rocket Hub campaign will raise money for four new machines that completely automate our soap sterilization process, reducing our soap recycling time by 90 percent!
– The new operational efficiency will allow Clean the World to begin processing 2 million more bars of soap for victims of Sandy and those in need around the world!
– The new equipment will create new jobs at Clean the World!
– With the new equipment, Clean the World can focus our volunteers on building hygiene kits for those impacted by Sandy and for food pantries and homeless shelters across the U.S.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FUEL US TODAY: If you have already fueled, we ask that you consider doing it again. The power of crowdfunding is in sharing the campaign with your network. Please share the project with your friends, family and network.
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All Hands on Deck

Global Handwashing Day (GHD) was more like Global Handwashing WEEK at Clean the World.

GHD was officially Monday, Oct. 15, but we held events throughout the week to recognize the importance of hand washing as a way to prevent the spread of illness. Our awesome volunteers stepped up to help both at our Orlando headquarters and our Las Vegas Regional Operations Center.

Orlando:

Volunteers from Hands on Orlando, Colonial High School and First Presbyterian Church Serve Day teamed up to pack 2,700 hygiene kits.

From the University of Central Florida, members of UCF Knights Give Back and Pre-Professional Medical Society packed 4,646 hygiene kits.

Volunteers in Orlando contributed approximately 345 hours, processed 3,700 bars of soap and packed 7,346 hygiene kits. The kits were donated to homeless advocacy programs operated by the Salvation Army in Central Florida.

Las Vegas:

AmeriCorps Nevada State members partnered with United Way of Southern Nevada to create 576 hygiene kits for donation to the Teacher EXCHANGE of the Clark Country School District in Las Vegas. Teacher EXCHANGE director Tim McCubbin donated kits to the following schools in Clark County:

– Canyon Springs High School
– Chaparral High School
– Mojave High School
– Rancho High School
– Western High School
– O’Callaghan Middle School
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3 Easy Ways to Support our RocketHub Campaign

Recently we told you about an effort to raise $54,000 for new equipment that will allow us to reduce our soap recycling time by 85 percent. With this additional machinery, we can quickly process the surplus of 2 million soap bars currently residing in our Orlando facility.

As of this morning, we were at 10 percent of our goal. It’s a great start – but there is still a long way to go, and a short time to get there. With help from you, your family and friends, we will turn that surplus into new, pressed bars that will be delivered to impoverished families around the world by this Christmas. But we simply can’t do it without you.

Here are three easy ways you can help today:

     1) If you are able to offer financial support, please visit our RocketHub page now. Every little bit helps.

     2) If you are an influencer, we ask that you consider organizing a fundraiser at your place of business, church, school or other organization.

     3) If you already supported our RocketHub campaign or are not able to at this time, please pass along this newsletter to your friends or family members who might be interested in joining the Global Hygiene Revolution. The more you help us spread the word, the more lives we can save by protecting people from hygiene-related illnesses.

Thanks for joining us on our journey!

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Clean the World Breaks into Crowdfunding

Clean the World is an Orlando-based social enterprise bringing the hottest new funding mechanism to Central Florida. As entrepreneurs and businesses struggle for capital to grow, non-profit Clean the World has launched a funding campaign on RocketHub to further automate their operation and dramatically increase output of recycled soap going to families across the U.S. and kids in 55 countries. They do this to combat the daily deaths of 9,000 children worldwide from hygienic-related diseases. 
“These new machines will allow us to immediately process and distribute two million more bars of soap by this Christmas,” says Clean the World CEO Shawn Seipler. “Increased output to meet increased demand also has the economic bonus of added jobs here in Central Florida.”
Clean the World is at the front of the non-profit pack, using crowdfunding to support its mission. The RocketHub campaign goal is $54,000 and has a tiered rewards system for people who give – or fuel – as RocketHub terms it. The process is user-friendly, allowing “fuelers” to do so online in less than five minutes. To fuel Clean the World, go to www.cleantheworld.org/fuel and click on Soap Saves Lives.
RocketHub is one of the top three crowdfunding sites and has helped grow this new funding market from $33M to $128M in the last two years. Crowdfunding is expected to be a $1B market by 2014, enabling growth for businesses challenged by limited access to capital.
Brian Meece, CEO of RocketHub, will be one of the featured speakers at The B.I.G. Summit hosted by Orlando, Inc. on November 8, 2012. The B.I.G. Summit is a premier event for Business Innovation and Growth, attracting entrepreneurs and business leaders from across Central Florida. 
Orlando, Inc. President Leslie Hielema comments, “The 2012 B.I.G. Summit is focused on connecting entrepreneurs, peer learning and breakthrough thinking that drive business innovation and growth. Capital for growth, including crowdfunding, will be one of several issues addressed by our expert lineup of speakers. If you want to grow and fund your business, don’t miss this event.” Registration and information is available at www.orlando.org/big.

About Clean the World Foundation, Inc.
Clean the World Foundation Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. The Foundation executes its mission of saving millions of lives around the globe by leading a global hygiene revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products to children and families suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). In 3 years, Clean the World has distributed more than 11 million bars of soap to children and families in 55 countries worldwide, simultaneously diverting over 750 tons of waste from North American landfills. For more information visit: www.cleantheworld.org.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates on how you can help save lives with soap.
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Help Reduce Processing Time From 3 Weeks to 3 Days

Twenty-one days.

With our current production line, that’s how long it takes us to recycle enough soap to fill an 18-wheeler.

However, with the purchase of four new machines, we can dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to recycle partially used soap from the hospitality industry. A $54,000 investment in equipment will allow us to cut production time by 85 percent – from three weeks to three days.

You can help by contributing to our new fundraising campaign on RocketHub.com. In our new video on the campaign page, co-founders Shawn Seipler and Paul Till explain exactly what Clean the World does and how the funds will be used. Please pass it along to your friends, colleagues and your social network. For those who aren’t familiar with Clean the World, the video is a great introduction to the cause.

The increased efficiency gained with four new machines would mean we can immediately process a backlog of two million bars, delivering them to impoverished families around the world by this Christmas. Your donation will also create jobs in our processing plants, keep soap out of landfills, and free our volunteers to build hygiene kits that go out to homeless shelters and soup kitchens across North America, and to families in need around the world.

Special thanks to the Orlando Chamber of Commerce for collaborating on the RocketHub.com launch. Thanks also to Brian Meece, CEO and founder of RocketHub.com, and to our friends and partners at WHOLESHEBANG (www.wholeshebang.ws) for assisting with the video, copy and marketing assets.

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Beauty Queen Writes a Happy Ending to Story of Stolen Soap

As Miss Teen Florida International, Orlando’s Elizabeth Tran promotes a platform of helping Teens Go Green. Her efforts include an ongoing relationship with Clean the World as a volunteer, ambassador and soap-drive coordinator.

Unfortunately, those good intentions were soiled last month by a dirty scoundrel who stole about 900 new bars of soap collected for CTW.

Elizabeth conducted a soap drive during the Florida Perfect Model Search at The Florida Hotel and Conference Center. During the crowning at the event on June 10, she looked under a table where the donations had been stashed – and discovered that all the live-saving soap was missing.

After an exhaustive search of the ballroom area, it was clear the soap had not been moved or misplaced. It had been stolen.

Local media outlets including WOFL Fox 35 and WESH Channel 2 ran stories about the heist over the next week. That led to national coverage, and an outpouring of support from people who were shocked and outraged about the crime.

A follow-up drive to replace the stolen bars yielded about 2,000 pounds of soap – EIGHT TIMES the amount that was originally collected.

Elizabeth said Jaison Radcliff of Legacy Style was a huge help with the second soap drive. Fellow contestants Zoe May and Jennifer Reed also contributed.

It was heartening to see the community rally around Elizabeth, and turn a negative experience into something so positive.

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More Soap Drive Success Stories

Naked hair stylists, prep school students, sustainability sisters, church groups, a local hospitality partner, and realtor associations. All have made recent soap donations to help Clean the World.

More than 329 lbs. of soap and bottled amenities were donated from various sources in the past few weeks by eager supporters of Clean the World from around the United States. And we are receiving more boxes, bins, and bags full of hygiene products each day.

Naked Hair Salon & More! of Delray Beach, Fla., donated 15 lbs. of soaps and bottled amenities donated by their clients. In fairness, the hair stylists are not naked, but the owners of Naked Hair Salon and More! couldn’t “bare” to see good beauty products go to waste. They organized a donation at the south Florida salon as a way to “give back to our environment” and limit landfill waste. The hygiene products were shipped via Clean the World corporate partner UPS to the Orlando recycling operations center in early May. “Thank you for allowing us to partner with you to make a difference,” they wrote.

Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Fla. conducted a soap drive as a service leadership project by its elementary school students after a visit by Clean the World in April. The students collected 77 lbs. of soaps and shampoos, which were dropped off in-person at the Orlando facility. “Your presentation worked,” said the students.

Allison and Jillian Samowitz, twin sisters from Golden Beach, Fla. who were featured in Reader’s Digest earlier this year, visited Clean the World’s Orlando headquarters and brought a gift of 28 lbs. of soap collected from their classmates at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The sisters, who met Clean the World CEO Shawn Seipler as both received Sustainable Florida Best Practices Awards last year, have formed an organization called Proseed2Green, which promotes environmental awareness in small communities. “We wanted to support this incredible cause,” they said.

Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., a local Clean the World partner, hosted a soap drive and collected 113 lbs. of store-bought soaps from hotel employees and friends. That’s above and beyond the guest-room amenities collections we regularly receive from this partner. Love to see that extra effort and passion helps save lives around the world.


After hearing an NPR interview that featured Clean the World, a group of women at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Arlington Heights, Ill., organized a community soap drive. The Christian Family Movement group collected 62 lbs. of soaps, hand sanitizers, shampoos, lotions and gels from parishioners and community residents.

“One of the missions of Christian Family Movement is to perform actions that promote social justice. This soap drive was a perfect fit for us,” they wrote.

And NAIOP, a commercial real estate trade association in Herndon, Va., organized a Clean the World soap drive over a two-week period after learning about Clean the World from our amenities partner, LATHER. The collection netted 16 lbs. of soaps and amenities for people in need.
When will you organize a soap drive in your community? It’s easy. Here’s how.

Thanks for all of our soap donation organizers — past, present, and future — for helping Clean the World.

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Community Soap Drives Deliver Success

Clean the World has experienced a surge in soap donations from schools, churches, civic organizations, and individuals interested in providing better hygiene opportunities for families in the United States and foreign countries.

Marti Mosley, Clean the World’s soap drive coordinator, suggests the spike in donations may reflect a growing awareness of how easy it is to save lives with soap.

“People are often amazed at how simple it is to organize a community soap drive, but when they do get one started, it can be so rewarding,” Mosley says. “Each day we receive phone calls and emails from wonderful people who just want to do something to help, and a soap drive is a tangible way for families and organizations to rally in favor of improved health and hygiene.”

Hospital workers, Boys and Girls Scout troops, college sororities, corporations and women’s ministry groups are just some of the recent contributors of new soaps to Clean the World.

Even hotel workers are getting into the act. Recently, The InterContinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel organized a soap drive among its employees, which resulted in 600 lbs. of soaps being donated to Clean the World.

“What a remarkable soap drive,” Mosley said. “And they weren’t even hotel soaps. These were soaps purchased and donated by employees for the benefit of children and famillies around the world. I think that makes it extra special.”

If you or your organization would like to participate in a community soap drive, please visit the soap drive link on the Clean the World website to learn more about it, and contact Marti Mosley directly at mmosley@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com to get started on your way toward soap drive success.

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“Super Soap” Video Released

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that may be true. But what kind of value can you place on a video of Clean the World’s efforts to save lives with soap?

This is no ordinary video. It’s one produced, narrated, and starring one of our hotel partners who recently experienced a soap distribution trip to Honduras.

You’ve read about Kat Coiner-Collier in our last newsletter, and on our blog, but this story is in her own words. In fact, we liked the video so much, we’ve placed it on our Clean the World home page. But we’ll let you be the judge as to whether or not Kat is passionate about her work and where this video will reside in your heart and mind.

Kat is director of housekeeping at Aloft Charlotte Uptown @ TheEpiCentre in North Carolina, a Starwood Hotel property. But her alter ego is “Super Soap”, a hygiene superhero who wowed the children of Honduras during her visit there with Clean the World.

Watch and share this video. It’s well worth your while. And it gets to the hear of the matter about how you can help Clean the World and change history by saving lives with soap, just like “Super Soap” did.


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Clean Hands, Clean World Campaign Launches

PeopleTowels® and Clean the World®, announce the launch of their partnership program, Clean Hands, Clean World. 

With a mission to halt the spread of preventable infectious diseases in a sustainable manner, the program distributes recycled soap and reusable hand towels to impoverished communities, saving lives while reducing waste and conserving natural resources.
 

To date, PeopleTowels has contributed more than 12,000 hand towels to create Sustainable Hygiene Kits, which have been distributed by Clean the World to communities in Haiti, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

The Clean Hands, Clean World partnership cements the relationship between the two organizations, establishing a mutual goal of distributing 100,000 sustainable hygiene kits and launching PeopleTowels’ ‘One for One’ donation program on limited edition, Clean Hands, Clean World PeopleTowels.  Under this new program, PeopleTowels will donate one reusable hand towel for every limited edition PeopleTowel sold, to be distributed in a Sustainable Hygiene Kit.

“PeopleTowels is a valuable partner to Clean the World,” says Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder at Clean the World. “We share a common passion for sustainability and a desire to improve hygiene conditions for children and families around the world. The inclusion of PeopleTowels in sustainable hygiene kits that already include Clean the World recycled soaps helps create a comprehensive hygiene solution for a cleaner, healthier world.”

“Our partnership with Clean the World aligns perfectly with PeopleTowels’ mission to reduce waste,” says Mary Wallace, co-founder of PeopleTowels.  “By using recycled soaps and reusable hand towels, together we incorporate a sustainability element in this humanitarian effort that reinforces the message that even when meeting basic human needs, we need to do so with minimal impact on the environment.”

Every day in North America, hotels discard millions of pounds of soap, which can leach out of landfills to contaminate fragile groundwater systems. On average, people use more than 3,000 paper towels outside the home every year, wasting trees, water and energy for a product that is used for a few seconds then thrown away. By pairing recycled soap with reusable hand towels, millions of pounds of waste will be diverted from landfills while providing those in need with the means to practice life saving hand hygiene.             
 To kick off the program, “Clean Hands Clean World” is hosting a Celebrity Spokesperson Poll, soliciting input from the public about which celebrity would make the best Clean Hands, Clean World spokesperson.
All participants will be entered to win an Eco Lifestyle Prize package valued at over $400, including goods from leading eco-lifestyle brands.
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Sustainable Spring: North America Turns ‘Green’

Have you ever wondered what more than 1,300 hospitality partners would look like if you placed them all on one map of North America? Well, we did, and this is what we got…

Update as of March 20, 2012:
Clean the World partners with 1,342 hospitality properties, which represent 291,689 hotel rooms. Corporate partners include Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Caesars Entertainment, The Walt Disney World Resorts, Joie de Vivre Hotels, and many more. And we welcome your participation in our hospitality partnership program that recycles soap and saves lives.

Clean the World is proud to have hospitality partnerships in all 50 United States, 10 Canadian provinces, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The darker concentrations of colors represent a greater density of hospitality partners in one city or region. As you can see, while we have considerable coverage on the map, there is still lots of room for growth.

The hospitality partners served by Clean the World represent roughly 6% of the total North American marketplace for the hospitality industry. Since we’re optimists at Clean the World, we see this as a 94% opportunity to grow our social enterprise and truly transform the way the hospitality industry thinks about amenities recycling, sustainability, and socially responsible customer service. And we’re saving lives in the process.

So, who wants to help us turn the entire North American hospitality industry green? From large corporate flags and hotel brands to small, independent bed-and-breakfasts throughout North America, we are on a mission to collect, recycle, and distribute hotel guest room amenities to help stop the spread of preventable diseases. With your continued help and support, we’re well on our way toward achieving a global hygiene revolution. Click here to join our program today.

Soon we’ll have partners in Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Wherever the spread of preventable diseases may be stopped by promoting and providing bar soap and proper hygiene, we will be there. Because soap saves lives.

Thanks for helping Clean the World.

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That’s a Lot of Showgirls

With the opening of the Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center, Clean the World can serve all hospitality partners in the Western and Pacific regions – an area spanning 13 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, all lodging properties in the city of Laguna Beach, Calif. and all of the Disneyland Hotels and Resorts in Anaheim, Calif.

In fact, Disneyland Resorts have collected and shipped 8,735 lbs. – more than 4.3 tons — of amenities directly to this facility.

Soaps and bottled amenities come to the Las Vegas facility from as far away as the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center in Fairbanks, Alaska (3,300 miles away) and the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Koloa, Hawaii (3,200 miles away).

Our hospitality partners in the Western and Pacific region have already contributed 325,000 lbs. of soap and 255,000 lbs. of bottled amenities to help Clean the World.

That’s 1.74 million bars of soap and 2.72 million little bottles of shampoo and lotion that are now improving hygiene conditions for children and families worldwide.

And if you need a little perspective on just how much soap has been collected, consider this…
Those soap weights are equivalent to:

– 27 African elephants
– 40 Killer whales
– 116 Volkswagen Beetles
– 2,917 Las Vegas showgirls!

And it’s all being collected and shipped to Las Vegas for recycling to help save lives around the globe. That’s how important this Las Vegas recycling operations center is to our Clean the World mission.

The ripple effect of this Las Vegas operation is immense. The good that comes from the amenities collected and recycled here will bring far-ranging, positive health benefits for communities in our own backyard and in regions around the globe.

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Opening Day: Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center



Paul Till and Debi Kinney from Clean the World

Clean the World was founded three years ago with a simple mission: To recycle soap and save lives. And our mission is as simple and essential today as it was in the beginning.

More than 9,000 children die each day from hygiene-related illnesses around the world. That’s 3.5 million lives lost per year.

According to medical research studies by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, more than 60 percent of these deaths can be prevented by regular hand washing with bar soap. It’s a challenge worth accepting to save these lives while there is still time, and with the hygiene resources we have in abundance. Clean the World was founded to meet that challenge and stop this needless loss of life.

And it all starts with a simple bar of soap…

Think about the hospitality industry for a moment. 4.6 million hotel rooms in the United States and 16 million hotel rooms globally. Hotels and resorts in the United States alone throw away more than one million bars of soap each day, an estimated 4 million discarded daily across the globe. And that’s a conservative estimate. By throwing away the soap, we add to our growing problem of landfill waste – that’s another big concern.

Clean the World’s solution is simple. Rather than throw away these guest room amenities – and add to our planet’s growing sanitation problems – Clean the World recycles these soaps and places them in the hands of children to help stop the spread of fatal disease. In just three years we have helped divert more than 1.4 million pounds of hotel waste from local landfills. And we couldn’t do it without your passion and support.

More than 20 of our hospitality partners are located in Nevada, with a large concentration located within the Las Vegas city limits. As more people come to Las Vegas for work and play, let’s make it our shared mission to extend the life of the amenities they use to help save lives at home and abroad.

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Soap and a Sandwich

Robert Samuel from Stop Hunger Now visits with Rosanna Kingston at Clean the World headquarters in Orlando, Fla. Clean the World recently shipped 10,500 lbs. of soap to Raleigh, N.C.-based Stop Hunger Now, which will be included in hygiene and food kits distributed in Kenya and throughout the 76 countries they serve worldwide.

Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world. The organization is driven by a vision of a world without hunger and a mission to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable and by creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.

Clean the World regularly distributes recycled soaps and bottled amenities through a network of global distribution partners, including World Vision, Children International, Harvest Time International, and Food for the Poor. In just three years Clean the World has distributed more than 10 million bars of soap to children and families in the United States, Canada, and more than 45 countries.

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Organize a Soap Drive – Start Today!

One of the simplest and most rewarding things you can do to help Clean the World is to start a soap drive in your own community. It’s easy, interactive, and especially when you involve children, it can be a lot of fun.

Schools, church groups, community organizations and families have consistently surprised us with tremendously generous collections of soaps in the past three years. One Minnesota school district, for example, collected more than two tons of soap in two separate soap drives to help the children of Haiti battle an outbreak of cholera. That remarkable effort has not been topped, but it sure set the bar high for others to match or surpass in the coming weeks and months.

Visit this link to learn how you, your friends and family can successfully promote and execute a Clean the World soap drive in your area. It’s a great motivation during the holiday season, and a wonderful example of community involvement any time during the year.
Contact Marti Mosley at mmosley@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com directly to let her know of your interest in coordinating a soap drive for Clean the World. Remember, the soaps you collect will be distributed to children and families all around the world. Soap saves lives.
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Bob McAbee’s Story: ‘A Fresh Start’

Bob McAbee rededicated his life to helping others.

It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but we don’t need to have a holiday to be thankful for the people who help support Clean the World.

That includes the many fine people who work each day to ensure that our operations run smoothly so hygiene products may be recycled and distributed to people they may never meet.

One such person is our own Bob McAbee, facility director at Clean the World’s Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center.

Bob recently shared his very personal story – he calls it his “testimony” – with Sonya Padgett, a reporter from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Reading the story helps remind us all that no matter where we may be in life at this very moment, there is always something better ahead for us if we just work hard, rededicate our efforts and believe in the power to transform our lives by helping others.

Thanks for helping Clean the World. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Soaps and Bottled Amenities in Great Demand

Clean the World continues on a frenetic pace with soap and bottled amenities distributions in the United States, Canada and countries around the world. And we are expecting these numbers to grow as we enter the holiday “giving” season where charitable donations are in steep demand.

Here’s what we’ve been able to accomplish with our global distribution partners and local organizations in just the past two weeks:
        Our friends at Sysco Guest Supply helped process nearly 200,000 bars of Clean the World soap for World Vision, which picked up 34 pallets of soap for global distribution (1,080 lbs. per pallet / Total: 35,640 lbs. of soap). An additional 22 pallets of soaps and bottled amenities will be picked up from our Las Vegas recycling operations center just prior to Thanksgiving Day.
        Children International picked up 20 pallets of soap for distribution to impoverished families in Guatemala.
        Harvest Time International picked up 12 pallets of bottled amenities for distribution in the United States and Latin America.
         Farzine Foundation for Africa is picking up five pallets of soap and bottled amenities for school children and people with disabilities in Sierra Leone.
On the domestic front, Clean the World is working with a number of organizations to provide comfort and better hygiene during the holidays. Past and upcoming distributions include:
          Seminole Families in Transition (Florida) hosted an event in which Clean the World distributed 320 hygiene kits (soaps, bottled amenities) to homeless students and families .
          Kids Closet picked up 2,500 hygiene supplies for school-aged children in the Orlando, Fla.-area.
          The Salvation Army of Central Florida will host its annual Thanksgiving meal for people in need, which will feature the distribution of 5,980 hygiene kits for those in need.
Keep in mind, this is just some of what we are doing in the next few days and weeks. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about our domestic and foreign distributions of soaps and bottled amenities. We want you with us as we fulfill our mission to advance a global hygiene revolution to stop the spread of diseases and save lives with soap.
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Beauty Queen Teen Helps Clean the World

Thanks to Elizabeth Tran, Miss Teen Florida International 2012, for attending our Inaugural Clean the World Gala and for volunteering to recycle soap at our Orlando facility during our “Soapy Saturday” event. We appreciate your passion and support. Thanks for helping Clean the World.

Elizabeth Tran, Miss Teen Florida International 2012

Gala host Tom Sorrells and Elizabeth Tran

Miss Teen Florida International 2012 volunteers at Clean the World
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Clean the World Soap Press at Work

The Clean the World soap press at work…

Listen to the purr of the engine, the rhythmic hum of the conveyor, and the steady cuts from the blade. Or forget all that and just look at all the soap coming off the line. This never gets old…

Since its founding in 2009, Clean the World has collected, recycled and distributed more than 9 million soap bars in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries.

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Hollywood Cleans Up with Mariana Klaveno

Actress Mariana Klaveno celebrated a birthday this week. But that is just one of the accomplishments that seem to be piling up recently for the Hollywood starlet.

In just a few months, Klaveno has gone from a critically acclaimed and fan-favorite role as Lorena on HBO’s “True Blood” series, to a new role in the white-hot Showtime series, “Dexter.” A TNT movie, “Innocent”, is scheduled for broadcast Nov. 29 and, yes, she’s also getting married soon.

In between all that, though, is something Klaveno truly treasures – her role as celebrity spokesperson for Clean the World. She will be presenting at the Inaugural Clean the World and will have an opportunity to meet with the hospitality industry professionals who are helping Clean the World.

“I had a chance while filming ‘Innocent’ in Vancouver to visit the Clean the World recycling operations center,” Klaveno says. “I spent some time with the women from Mission Possible who work there, heard their stories, and really connected with them while we were all scraping soaps. It was a very rewarding experience.”

Klaveno has recorded public service announcements for Clean the World, such as this one promoting the Text 2 Donate fundraising option, and another to promote the Gala. Her visibility as a spokesperson for Clean the World helps bring attention to the mission of recycling soap and saving lives.

“It’s such a simple thing, isn’t it?” she asks. “Yet when people really hear the numbers of children who die from disease because of lack of soap, it’s heartbreaking. Especially when you consider all the soap that is thrown away in the hospitality industry each day. I’m proud of the Clean the World partners who have joined the global hygiene revolution to save lives with soap, and look forward to meeting many at the Gala. Thanks for helping Clean the World.”

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NBA Coach Brings Passion to Clean the World

There’s no professional basketball in the immediate future. The lockout situation continues for the National Basketball Association, and the first few weeks of the NBA season have already been removed from the schedule. So a lot of NBA players and coaches have time on their hands as they wait and wonder if the 2011-2012 will ever begin.

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy is making great use of his time by volunteering in several central Florida communities, and helping Clean the World. Van Gundy has been a vocal supporter of Clean the World for months, and he’s recorded several public service announcements and promotional videos on behalf of its lifesaving soap recycling program.

Here’s a story that displays Van Gundy’s enthusiasm for Clean the World, and why he is proud to be a supporter of this organization.

“The Coach” will be attending the Inaugural Clean the World Gala on Nov. 5 at The Peabody Orlando. He’ll meet and greet guests, sign autographs, talk basketball, and about how soap can save lives.

Thank you, Stan Van Gundy. Your kind of passion is always welcome – on the basketball court and off.

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“Mr. Brickhouse” Helps Clean the World



Thomas McClary, Lionel Ritchie, and Ronald LaPreade of The Commodores.

They call him “Mr. Brickhouse.” You may not immediately recall the name, but you’ll certainly recognize the music.

Thomas McClary, founder of The Commodores, is bringing a rich history of music, faith and wisdom in support of Clean the World.

McClary, who wrote more than 25 percent of all the songs for The Commodores and co-produced hits such as “Three Times a Lady”, “Easy”, “Lady You Bring Me Up” and “Sail On”, will be a special guest at the Inaugural Clean the World Gala, Saturday, Nov. 5, at The Peabody Orlando.

An Orlando resident since 1967, McClary is a frequent visitor to the Clean the World soap recycling facility in downtown Orlando, and he’s been instrumental in spreading the word about Clean the World’s efforts to stop the spread of preventable diseases with soap.

“Clean the World has certainly touched the heart and soul of so many people around the world with its desire to eradicate disease and save lives,” McClary says. “Soap and water are things too many of us take for granted, until it’s not available. Clean the World has zeroed in on the benefits of soap and the power it has to stop the spread of fatal disease. I’m certainly touched by that and happy to help spread the word.”

In addition to The Commodores, where he collaborated with his friend Lionel Ritchie, McClary has worked with music superstars such as Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, The Four Tops, James Ingram, and Melissa Manchester. His contacts within the music industry, and the friendships he has established over the years, may have far-reaching benefits for Clean the World and the people who will benefit from receiving recycled soaps and bottled amenities.

“We all travel and stay in nice hotels and resorts, and certainly, we all use soap,” McClary says. “Clean the World is providing a much-needed and easy to understand solution for people who don’t have such luxuries. I’m glad your hotel partners have made a strong commitment to help people who are less fortunate receive a little more care and comfort.”

McClary and the original members of The Commodores are back in the studio again working on a CD that he hopes will be “ready to hit the streets” by April 2012.

“The CD is being recorded in Orlando and Los Angeles,” McClary says. “It’s all new music, and it’s fun to bring some history and the heartbeat of the music from the 1970s, while marching to the commercial appetites of today’s consumers.”

Look for McClary at the Inaugural Clean the World Gala and sing a few lyrics from your favorite Commodores song. He’ll take it from there.

“It’s a privilege to touch people with music,” he says. “It brings great joy.”

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Clean the World Offers Carbon Neutral Deliveries with UPS

Clean the World is working with UPS to ensure that all deliveries of soaps and bottled amenities from Clean the World will be recognized as “carbon neutral” and eligible to earn carbon offset credits to help protect our planet.

UPS offers carbon neutral shipping to Clean the World and its participating hospitality partners. As part of this innovative program, all collection bins and packages shipped via UPS will be specially marked with the UPS carbon neutral shipment logo. The special logo is a symbol of Clean the World’s commitment to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) impact from shipping, and the desire of our more than 1,200 hospitality partners throughout North America to promote sustainability and social responsibility.

UPS purchases certified carbon (CO2) offsets to help balance out the emissions produced by the transportation of shipments, including soaps and bottled amenities, as they are distributed around the world. UPS has supported projects that include reforestation, landfill gas destruction, wastewater treatment, and methane destruction.

“Consistent with our commitment to sustainability and protecting our planet, carbon neutral shipping through UPS is an exciting, new and valuable component to our hospitality partnership program,” says Shawn Seipler, CEO at Clean the World. “We’re happy to take part in a socially responsibly shipping solution, and we encourage our hotel partners to do the same so we can save lives with soap while creating a cleaner world.”

Clean the World receives and ships large volumes of soaps and bottled amenities each day, so this carbon neutral program with UPS should be an excellent fit. Since February 2009 Clean the World has distributed more than 9 million bars of soap and more than 500,000 lbs. of bottled amenities in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries.

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The Soap Press Is Here!

You may soon be seeing soap bubbles in downtown Orlando, Fla.

Clean the World, an Orlando-based social enterprise that collects, recycles and distributes hotel soaps and bottled amenities to stop the spread of preventable diseases, welcomed the delivery of its first soap press, which will automate the soap recycling process and produce substantially more soap for children and families in need.

With the soap press running at full capacity for an entire work day in the Orlando facility, Clean the World will be able to produce 80,000 soap bars per day for children and families all around the world. That equates to:

• 5,555 soap bars per hour

• 92 bars per minute

• 1.5 bars per second or 3 bars every 2 seconds

The soap press was acquired in early September and delivered Sept. 26, just in time for assembly and unveiling at an invitation-only event that included Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, real estate developer Craig Ustler, and Thomas McClary, an Orlando resident and one of the co-founders of The Commodores. Clean the World Foundation board members, Dr. Paul Skomsky and Mark Rucker, were also in attendance, along with fellow board members and Clean the World co-founders, Shawn Seipler and Paul Till.

Seipler, CEO of Clean the World, anticipates using the soap press to dramatically increase the daily output of recycled soaps produced in the Orlando facility from the present 10,000 per day to 80,000 per day.

“Our goal is to put more soap in the hands of people who need it most,” Seipler says. “The soap press will serve as an engine for our soap production and could produce a weeks-worth of soaps for us every day. The more soap we produce, the more children we may save from preventable diseases, such as acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. This is a very exciting time for us and a big moment in our global hygiene revolution.” A gallery of photos from the Sept. 30 event may be found here.

Thomas McClary, left, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer

In just two years of operation Clean the World has partnered with 1,200 hotel partners in North America to collect and recycle soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels from more than 260,000 hotel rooms. The organization has partnered with NGOs such as WorldVision and Harvest Time International to distribute more than 9 million bars of soap to communities in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries.

The Inaugural Clean the World Gala, a Nov. 5 event hosted by The Peabody Orlando (a Clean the World partner), is scheduled to attract nearly 800 hospitality industry executives, community and business leaders, vendors and supporters for a night of fun and fundraising. Corporate table sponsorships are still available at www.cleantheworld.org/gala.

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Avmor Corp., Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Help Clean the World

When an outbreak of cholera occurred in Haiti in 2010, Clean the World sprung into action by delivering 300,000 bars of soap in less than three months. As the disease spread throughout Haiti, Clean the World turned to additional hygiene partners to help prevent future illness and death.

The Avmor Corporation, one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of cleaning and sanitation products, stepped up in a big way by donating at its own expense an entire semi-truck full of hand sanitizer gel and foam for distribution to children and families in Haiti. The truck contained more than 48,000 bottles of hygiene products.

Mattie Chinks, president and CEO at Avmor, and his team contacted Clean the World and asked if the hand sanitizers could be delivered into Haiti alongside donations of hotel soaps and bottled amenities. The truckload of sanitizers was delivered to Clean the World headquarters in Orlando for shipment to Haiti, particularly in areas where soap is always in short supply. But there was still the issue of how to get it there. That’s when another partner stepped in at a time of great need.

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, with offices in Doral, Fla., provided the container necessary to ship the hygiene supplies to Haiti. Hellmann also arranged for trucking of the supplies from Orlando to its warehouse near the Port of Miami and loaded the container with all of the hand sanitizers from Avmor. Days later, the hand sanitizers arrived in Port-Au-Prince and have since been distributed to communities in need throughout Haiti.

Special thanks to Avmor Corporation and Hellmann Worldwide Logistics for your commitment to helping Clean the World.

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In Honor of 9/11 – We Remember Always

Earlier this month Clean the World helped foster a spirit of patriotism and volunteerism by honoring the memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on United States soil. The Orlando facility welcomed a variety of soap recycling volunteers – hotel partners, school groups, church groups and individuals — for a few days of concentrated community service.

The dedicated volunteers worked hard to remove surface debris and help recycle as many soap bars as possible in an effort to sanitize 9,110 bars of soap to mark the 10th anniversary of that horrific event. The ambitious volunteers exceeded that goal. They recycled an estimated 10,000 soap bars by Sept. 11.

“Our volunteers were united in their focus and determined to meet that goal,” says Rosanna Kingston, volunteer coordinator at Clean the World. “It’s a positive, uplifting way to mark a somber anniversary, and it gives us hope in our battle against the spread of diseases worldwide.”

Clean the World joins with others around the United States and our world in memoriam of this painful date in our collective history. It is the hope of our organization that a healthy volunteer spirit and a desire to stop the spread of preventable diseases will unite us in a global hygiene revolution that saves lives all around the world.

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10,000 PeopleTowels to Help Clean the World

In an interesting twist on International Clean Hands Week, Clean the World welcomed a new partner to join the global hygiene revolution. PeopleTowels, makers of an on-the-go alternative to paper towels, partnered with Clean the World to help fight spread of preventable disease and rid the world of unnecessary landfill waste.

The Monterey, Calif.-based PeopleTowels organization donated more than 10,000 reusable PeopleTowels to Clean the World with plans to include them with donations of soaps and bottled amenities for children and families at home and abroad.

“PeopleTowels is thrilled to partner with Clean the World to advance basic hygiene in the most eco-friendly manner, making use of recycled soaps and cleanser and sustainably produced, reusable hand towels that prevent solid waste and conserve resources,” says Linda Lannon, CEO of PeopleTowels. “Working together, Clean the World and PeopleTowels will provide thousands of people in need with the ability to reduce the spread of infectious disease through the simple act of hand washing. Advancing global health is as much a part of building a more sustainable world as how green the products we use and consume and conserving natural resources are, making this collaboration with Clean the World a natural advancement of our mutual goals.”

Plans are to wrap the soaps and bottled amenities in PeopleTowels and create sustainable hygiene kits for children and communities in the United States, Canada and all around the globe. Volunteers at Clean the World will help create the eco-friendly satchels and they will be distributed by Clean the World personnel and global distribution partners wherever there is a need for improved health and hygiene.

“This is a logical partnership that extends our efforts to advance sustainability and promote better opportunities for improved hygiene health,” says Shawn Seipler, co-founder of Clean the World. “PeopleTowels came to our attention at the recommendation of another valued partner, The American Cleaning Institute, and we’re encouraged of the good we can do in delivering the tools of better hygiene in a convenient, portable and reusable way.”

Clean the World and PeopleTowels will mark the start of their partnership with a “big event” on Oct. 15 – Global Handwashing Day. Further details will be available soon.

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NBA Coach Stan Van Gundy: ‘Winning with Defense’

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy knows a lot about defense. What you may not realize is that he also has a passion for fighting germs.

“Too many children are dying all around the world because they don’t have enough soap to kill germs,” Van Gundy says. “By helping Clean the World, we can distribute more soap to provide children and families with a strong defense against the spread of fatal disease.”

Van Gundy works at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, a mere inbound pass away from Clean the World headquarters in downtown Orlando. He’s familiar with the organization and its success with distributing more than 9 million bars of soap to children and families in more than 45 countries. Van Gundy is enthusiastic in his support of Clean the World’s global hygiene revolution to save lives with soap.

“This place is awesome,” Van Gundy said during a recent visit to Clean the World. “It smells great and there’s so much energy here. Everyone here realizes they have an important role to play in helping save the lives of children who need soap and better hygiene. I love the idea and will do all I can to help.”

The coach was kind enough to record several public service announcements on behalf of Clean the World during his visit. Here’s one now on his favorite topic: Defense.

“Soap is a simple solution,” Van Gundy says. “But just as in basketball, you can’t achieve your goals without putting in the hard work. Clean the World and its hotel partners are doing that hard work everyday to stop the spread of acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease. And it’s working. That’s what I call winning with defense.”

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Compassion Bubbles Up at Capital Hotel

Cora Duncan, executive housekeeper at Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Ark., shares the success story of her involvement with Clean the World.

If you’ve ever wondered about the impact of your participation in the Clean the World hospitality partnership program, just watch this video.

Witness the power of domestic distribution to homeless shelters and missions in need of hygiene supplies that the hospitality industry can provide in abundance.

Thanks, Cora, for your passion and for helping Clean the World.

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“Meet Me” at Clean the World

MPI helps Clean the World

It’s early Saturday morning, July 23. As many Orlando visitors were rising to enjoy their theme park character breakfasts, an intrepid group of nearly 70 MPI WEC 2011 attendees traveled to downtown Orlando for an opportunity to help Clean the World.

A happy gathering of meeting planners, tourism professionals, event organizers and industry reporters came to Clean the World headquarters to recycle soap and save lives.

The event, hosted by Clean the World and Visit Orlando, was a clean and fun example of corporate social responsibility (CSR) promoted by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) before the official start of the 2011 World Education Congress (WEC) at the Orange County Convention Center.

The enthusiastic crowd arrived on a hot and muggy weekend morning to learn more about Clean the World’s efforts to recycle hotel soaps and save lives by stopping the spread of preventable diseases through better hygiene.

Gregg Herning, event chair, Clean the World Gala

The day was also a chance to formally announce the Inaugural Clean the World Gala, scheduled to be held Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 at The Peabody Orlando. Clean the World CEO and co-founder Shawn Seipler introduced Gregg Herning, vice president of sales and marketing for Peabody Hotels and event chair for the Gala committee, who welcomed all MPI guests to sponsor and attend the Gala.

After the outdoor Gala announcement, event attendees poured inside of Clean the World’s Recycling Operations Center (ROC) to begin the initial phase of soap recycling. Guests grabbed plastic knives and produce peelers to help remove the surface debris from soaps collected from Clean the World’s more than 1,100 hotel partners throughout North America.

At the end of a brief but energetic effort the results were announced. Guests at the event helped recycle enough soaps and bottled amenities to help improve hygiene habits for 2,200 children worldwide.

Thanks to all who attended the MPI WEC event at Clean the World.

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Clean the World Foundation Adds Three to Board of Directors

SUMMARY: Mark Rucker of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Bob Scaglione of Sharp Electronics Corp., and Central Florida cosmetic dentist Dr. Paul J. Skomsky elected to add expertise and leadership to the Orlando-based social enterprise that is recycling soap and saving lives

Clean the World Foundation, the largest global distributor of recycled hotel soaps and bottled amenities, has elected two executives and a medical professional to its Board of Directors.

Mark Rucker, Vice President of Lodging for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and Bob Scaglione, Chief Marketing Officer at Sharp Electronics Corporation in Mahwah, N.J., were chosen to join the Clean the World Foundation Board of Directors at a June 13 meeting. Dr. Paul J. Skomsky, an Orlando cosmetic dentist, was chosen at a meeting July 7. The appointments are effective immediately.

Rucker, Scaglione and Dr. Skomsky join the organization’s two co-founders – Executive Director Shawn Seipler and Managing Director Paul Till – on the Clean the World Foundation Board of Directors.

Orlando, Fla.-based Clean the World Foundation has a mission to provide soap where needed to help improve hygiene and sanitation conditions, to lessen the impact of disease, and to promote better hygiene and living conditions worldwide. Beneficiaries of Clean the World’s global hygiene revolution include children and families suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera).

Mark Rucker, Vice President of Lodging for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Rucker has filled over 13 positions in more than 25 years of leadership with The Walt Disney Company – from his start in 1985 as a Walt Disney World Resorts industrial engineer in both parks and resorts, through stints as general manager of water parks, EPCOT park operations, director of rooms and into his present role as vice president of lodging for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. Rucker has kept a sharp eye on developing trends, guest service and hospitality. His involvement with Clean the World is a natural extension of his daily work with Disney, but it’s also something close to his heart.

With his support, Walt Disney World Resort hotels were added as pioneer partners in the Clean the World hospitality partnership program in 2009. Since that time the resort hotels have contributed an estimated 32.5 tons of soaps and bottled amenities from 19 resort properties in Central Florida and Anaheim. Clean the World has recently added Disneyland Resorts in California to its partner portfolio, again with the encouragement of Rucker and the motivated team of Disney hospitality leaders and professionals.

“I believe in the mission of the Clean the World Foundation and realize the impact we are already having on the lives of children who are in desperate need of hygiene products,” Rucker says. “The Walt Disney World Resort hotels alone provide tremendous amounts of soaps and bottled amenities that are being recycled into lifesaving items for children and families in the United States and all around the world.”

Bob Scaglione, Chief Marketing Officer, Sharp Electronics Corporation
Scaglione has been with Sharp Electronics Corporation for 22 years and is responsible for brand communications and new business development. A leader in the consumer electronics marketing industry, Scaglione served as senior vice president and group manager for Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. He’s led the marketing and product development of Sharp’s lineup of consumer audio and video products, as well as spearheading sales and marketing for the company’s digital products division. As a longtime supporter and friend of Clean the World, Scaglione’s personal and professional commitment to sustainability is echoed by the efforts of the organization in areas beyond the hospitality industry.

“Clean the World has enjoyed phenomenal growth and success in the global hospitality industry, but other industries, such as consumer electronics, can play a part as well,” Scaglione says. “Sustainability and social responsibility are defining issues for many corporations in a variety of industries, and Clean the World provides a successful, practical platform for corporations to learn and share best practices. When you consider how many lives may be saved simply by putting soap in the hands of people who need them most, it’s easy to see how people from all walks of life and business can come together to help Clean the World.”

Dr. Paul J. Skomsky, Cosmetic Dentist

Dr. Skomsky has been a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry since 1990 and has been a contributing dental provider to charitable and philanthropic foundations, such as Give Kids A Smile and Give Back A Smile for victims of domestic abuse. A frequent media guest for his dental expertise, Dr. Skomsky is also an accomplished artist who has illustrated dental texts and whose original work, prints, and lithographs have been acclaimed and sold worldwide.

“Clean the World’s global commitment to saving the lives of children is so genuine, so simple, I couldn’t possibly say no to this opportunity,” Dr. Skomsky says. “The organization is helping to meet the basic hygiene needs of people in countries all around the globe, and as a member of the board of directors, I’ll make sure we keep to that mission and never waver in our support to children everywhere.”

Clean the World offers sustainable, socially responsible, and charitable programs and services to the international hospitality community. Since its founding in 2009, Clean the World has partnered with more than 1,100 hotel properties in North America to provide soaps and bottled amenities to people in need. Through the efforts of the Clean the World Foundation, the organization has distributed more than 8.5 million bars of soap to children and families in the United States and more than 40 countries worldwide. Clean the World has also fulfilled a valuable environmental mission by diverting an estimated 1.2 million lbs. (600 tons) of hotel waste from polluting landfills worldwide.

“We’re incredibly pleased and excited to add these special and talented men to the Clean the World Foundation Board of Directors,” Seipler says. “Each has his own immense talent that will serve us well as we grow wisely and effectively to save lives with soap.”

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Hollywood starlet helps Clean the World

She’s played a vampire on TV, but now actress Mariana Klaveno is ready to sink her teeth into something much more rewarding.

Klaveno, who starred as the wildly wicked “Lorena” on HBO’s hit “True Blood” series, is lending her celebrity stature and genuine passion to help Clean the World. [Click here to see her video]

The beautiful actress recently recorded several promotional scripts for Clean the World during a fun day of shooting at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, a prestigious hospitality partner of Clean the World.

“I heard about Clean the World from [comedian] Stephen Colbert,” Klaveno says. “I follow him on Twitter and I saw that he had sent a tweet in November about Clean the World and the soap you were sending to stop the spread of cholera in Haiti.”

The Twitter mention stuck in her mind, as did the thought of recycling soap to save lives. Klaveno made an online donation to Clean the World to help aid the cholera relief efforts, and frequently visited the organization’s website to learn more about how hotels throughout North America were partnering to turn trash into hygiene treasure for people in need. She still wanted to do more.

“During a magazine interview I was asked to give a ‘shout out’ to one of my favorite charities,” Klaveno says. “I had done that in the past, but I wanted to help an organization that maybe wasn’t that well known or hadn’t received that much attention. I immediately thought of Clean the World and wanted to get it on people’s radar – it’s such a wonderful organization.”

Now, as celebrity spokesperson for Clean the World, Klaveno can leverage her fame and growing popularity to help illuminate Clean the World’s efforts to promote a global hygiene revolution.

“It is the simplicity, the ingenuity and resourcefulness that make me love Clean the World so much,” she says. “Soap is something that is so easily recycled to save lives in an immediate and tangible way. People can make an emotional attachment to that. It’s a brilliant idea that’s good for the planet. It’s good for humans, and it’s good for hotels. It’s good for everyone.”

Klaveno recorded several scripts for Clean the World that highlight the remarkable demand for hygiene supplies in the United States, Canada, and underdeveloped nations all around the globe. She said it was a real eye-opener to see some of the statistics and think in a different way about soap – especially hotel soaps – something so many of us take for granted.

“I’ve always loved soaps, and now I love them more,” Klaveno says. “It seems like there are a million hotel options wherever you travel, and one of the easiest things you can do is make the choice to stay at a Clean the World-affiliated hotel. You always have a choice, and that’s a good way to make conscious choices to help Clean the World.”

Klaveno has expressed interest in accompanying Clean the World staff on an upcoming soap distribution trip to Haiti, where Clean the World has already distributed more than 2 million bars of soap since the 2010 earthquake. Like so many other humanitarian missions, she says, it has the potential to really have long-lasting impact.

“I assume it is something that would change your life forever,” Klaveno says. “To see how people in underdeveloped countries live so differently than we do. There’s so much we take for granted. A trip like this will let you know what little it takes to make a positive impact on a child or family. I think it will be something I will remember and treasure forever.”

[Click here to see Mariana Klaveno in her debut as spokesperson for Clean the World.]

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Clean the World Wins Sustainability Award

What does “sustainability” mean to you? Well, it means the world to us.

Clean the World is honored to have been selected as the winner of the 2011 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Award in the Leadership category. The awards are presented annually by The Collins Center for Public Policy, a prestigious non-profit think tank based in Tallahassee, Fla.

The 2011 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Award recognizes Clean the World’s emergence as the worldwide leader and industry standard for soap and amenities recycling in the hospitality industry, and the launch of a “global hygiene revolution” centered on recycling soap to save lives. The award also looks ahead to Clean the World’s future development of new, sustainable and socially responsible programs and services for the global hospitality community.

Shawn Seipler, co-founder and executive director at Clean the World, accepted the award at a June 2 ceremony hosted by The Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, one of Clean the World’s 160 hospitality partners in Florida among a network of more than 1,000 hospitality partners throughout North America. Partners include some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry: Starwood Hotels and Resorts, The Walt Disney World Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Mandarin Oriental, Gilchrist & Soames, Marietta Corporation and many individual hotel flags and brands, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG and Joie de Vivre Hotels.

“This is not an individual award, but one that is shared by every employee, every volunteer, every hospitality partner and every person who has ever contributed or received soaps and hygiene supplies from Clean the World,” says Shawn Seipler, co-founder and executive director of Clean the World. “We could not do this without you, and we are truly blessed and privileged to have received such support for our efforts to recycle soap and save lives.”

Clean the World took home the honor in the face of stiff competition because of its creativity in identifying an environmentally friendly opportunity that would help improve overall sustainability in the hospitality industry and beyond. Some other winners of 2011 Sustainable Florida Best Practice awards include Universal Orlando, Baptist Health South Florida, the City of Tallahassee, and Miami Corporation.

Sustainability goes beyond simple recycling of products or an isolated promotion of so-called “green” initiatives by companies, organizations and municipalities. Sustainability also includes the promise of attracting “green” jobs to Florida and the development of an economically viable industry, such as soap and hotel amenities recycling, that could generate revenues for Florida, federal and global businesses. On this score, Clean the World has proven itself a winner.

“Two years ago, there was no market for recycled soap,” Seipler says. “When [co-founder and managing director] Paul Till and I started this organization no one had ever done this before on such a grand scale. Now, more than 1,000 hotel partners have helped pioneer our success, and we’ve created more than 30 jobs in Florida and at least 12 more in other states and Canadian provinces. Our business model is sustainable, and the market reaction to our services has been enthusiastic. We’re looking forward to managing our growth in the immediate future and to the development of an array of sustainable, socially responsible solutions to maximize our efforts in the hospitality industry and accomplish the most good.”

And speaking of sustainability, there’s also the impact Clean the World is having on local landfills. Because of the success of its hotel amenities recycling program, Clean the World has also fulfilled a valuable environmental mission by diverting an estimated 550 tons of hotel waste from polluting landfills in the United States and Canada.

Perhaps what impressed judges most about Clean the World was the simplicity of the eco-friendly idea to collect, recycle and distribute hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help stop the spread of disease worldwide. In just two years of operation, Clean the World has distributed more than 8 million bars of soap to children and families in the United States and more than 40 countries.

The soaps and education about proper hand washing are used to battle the top two killers of children younger than 5 years old – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). These two diseases claim 3.5 million lives each year, especially in developing nations where soap is considered a luxury, not a necessity. Research shows that more than 60 percent of these deaths can be prevented by simple, regular hand washing with bar soap.

“It’s humbling and amazing to think that Clean the World has grown in just two years from experimenting with soap recycling in my kitchen at home to having recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Toronto,” Seipler says. “Leadership plays a part, but so do the tireless efforts of all who have touched this organization, in practice and in prayer, to help support our mission to save lives. This is a global hygiene revolution that we are leading, and it starts right here in Florida. It’s a big world out there. We’re just getting started.”

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Renaissance Era: 1,000 Hospitality Partners and Counting…

Clean the World recently passed a major milestone in its growth within the hospitality industry. During a flurry of activity in May, Clean the World topped the 1,000 mark for hospitality partners throughout North America.

The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel, a Concord Hospitality property, has been “officially” identified as our 1,000th hospitality partner.

“With the rapid and welcome expansion of Clean the World throughout the hospitality industry, we are honored to be the 1,000th hotel partner to join the global hygiene revolution,” says Mark Laport, president and CEO of Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company. “The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel is a remarkable property and will proudly represent the sustainability initiatives promoted by all Concord Hotels as we do our part to help stop the spread of preventable diseases by recycling our soaps and bottled amenities. We’re proud of our continuing efforts to help others, and happy to work with Clean the World.”

The Renaissance is a gorgeous hotel in North Carolina, and a fitting property to mark a major achievement in our efforts to expand Clean the World’s hygiene revolution from hotels in North America to children and families around the world.

Clean the World now has partnerships with nearly 1,030 hospitality partners in North America, which includes hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and cruise lines.

“It’s humbling to think that just two years ago we started this organization by experimenting with recycling soaps in my kitchen, and now it has grown to surpass 1,000 hotel properties in the United States and Canada,” says Shawn Seipler, executive director of Clean the World. “We wanted to pause for a moment and recognize the property that took us to 1,000, The Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel. We know that with the continued support of this industry we will surely surpass 2,000, 3,000 and eventually 5,000 hotels on our way toward making Clean the World the industry standard for hotel amenities recycling.”


 
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A Mass of Soap from Massachusetts

Thanks to the Diversity Council and staff of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the generous soap donation to Clean the World.

The Bay State health office conducted a soap drive to help families suffering from a cholera outbreak in Haiti. Their efforts helped collect 250 lbs. of soap that have been sent to Clean the World, and will soon make its way to that island nation.

“We applaud the work of Clean the World and it is our sincere hope that the contribution will help you continue to meet the needs of the individuals you serve,” wrote John Auerbach, public health commissioner.

The Diversity Council traditionally makes contributions to multiple organizations, but decided to sponsor this soap drive for Clean the World as a way to help reduce health concerns stemming from cholera.

Thank you, Massachusetts, for helping Clean the World.

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Harvest Time distributes bottled amenities for Clean the World

Central Florida is proving to be quite a generous location for Clean the World and a growing list of non-profit organizations and philanthropic partners.

Harvest Time International, which is based in Sanford, Fla., has stepped up to help Clean the World distribute bottled amenities to people in need as part of its organizational mission of “caring by sharing.”

Volunteers from Harvest Time came to Clean the World in mid-May and filled a truckload full of bottle amenities. They will distribute the shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to organizations who are asking for hygiene supplies throughout its vast network of missions.

Harvest Time International distributes hunger and relief products to families in need in the United States and developing countries, and responds to disasters worldwide.

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Aaron’s donates $1,000 worth of soap

Thanks to the fine folks at Aaron’s for donating $1,000 worth of soap and hygiene supplies to Clean the World this week.

Your generous donation of soaps, baby shampoos and lotions will be delivered next week to central Florida crisis nurseries and women’s shelters as part of Clean the World’s focus on domestic distribution to children and families in need.

Phil Guadagno, regional manager for Aaron’s stores in the Orlando-area, made the donation May 5 as part of Aaron’s Community Outreach Program (ACORP), which is dedicated to supporting charitable efforts involving children.

“At Aaron’s we love to give back to the communities that support us,” Guadagno says. “We found out about the Clean the World organization online and thought it sounded like a great organization. Our goal is to help Clean the World rid impoverished communities of disease. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Clean the World is headquartered in Orlando, so we knew we should get involved, however possible, in such a worthy cause.”

Aaron’s is the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories. With more than 1,800 store locations in 48 states and Canada, Aaron’s retail locations could play an important role as a potential drop-off centers for soaps and hygiene supplies, especially in times of crisis, such as we are seeing in the aftermath of the recent tornadoes and storms in Southern states.

“This $1,000 donation of soap and hygiene supplies is just the start,” Guadagno says. “We know we can do so much more, and I’m going to encourage other regional managers to get behind this effort by Clean the World to help stop the spread of disease and promote hand washing with soap.”

Are you part of a company or organization with a heart for community outreach? If so, your donations to Clean the World are welcome. Please visit our website to learn about how you can donate soaps and money to help advance our global hygiene revolution.

And if your company, organization, school or church group is interested in volunteer opportunities with Clean the World, please contact Crystal Barker, volunteer coordinator, at cbarker@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com

Thanks for helping Clean the World.

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Smile if you sell Sonoma Soap

Sophia Lerma (left) and Siobhan Anderson (right) helped sell and promote Clean the World-branded bar soaps during the April 9-10 Green Festival in San Francisco. Clean the World has a licensing partnership with California-based Sonoma Soap Company in which Sonoma will donate a portion of the proceeds of each co-branded all-natural soap bar to help support Clean the World’s global mission of saving lives and recycling soap.
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Gilchrist & Soames: Soap sale for Clean the World

Gilchrist & Soames, a leading provider of luxury hotel amenities, is planning something special for Earth Day, and it will help Clean the World.

The international provider of luxury amenities – soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and body lotions – to four-and five-star hotels throughout the world is taking a step beyond the hotel walls to help stop the spread of preventable diseases.

From Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24, Gilchrist & Soames will donate a portion of all proceeds collected from online sales at http://www.gilchristsoames.com/. All items purchased online from an impressive network of G&S-affiliated partners will help advance the global hygiene revolution championed by Clean the World.

Gilchrist & Soames, founded in the United Kingdom and with U.S. headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., has enjoyed a strong partnership with Clean the World. The first “exclusive” amenities partner of Clean the World has helped grow hotel partnerships throughout North America.

Clean the World, founded in Feb. 2009, now has nearly 900 hotel partners in the United States and Canada, many of which proudly provide amenities from Gilchrist & Soames.

The continued support of G&S and its impressive family of hotel partners have helped bring prestige and lots of hygiene products to Clean the World, while delivering lifesaving soaps to children and families in nearly 45 countries. By adding online donations to the mix as part of an Earth Day celebration, G&S confirms its commitment to saving lives by recycling soap with Clean the World.

Again, the Earth Day promotion lasts through the weekend (April 22-24). To participate, visit http://www.gilchristsoames.com/. Make your online purchases of luxury bath and body products and gifts and encourage others to do the same. By doing so, not only will you receive top-quality products, but you’ll take part in something even more impressive: Your generous purchases will help Clean the World.

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A bountiful harvest in Calif. wine country

Guests may come to Sonoma County for the wine, but the greater value may be found in the soaps and shampoos they leave behind.

Best Western Wine Country Inn & Suites, with 85 hotel rooms and suites in the heart of Sonoma wine country, has partnered with Clean the World.

“With so many visitors coming to enjoy the wines in our area, we know we have a steady flow of guests with a deep appreciation for the environment,” says Todd Anderson, general manager of Best Western Wine Country Inn & Suites, a member of the Heritage Hotel Group. “By partnering with Clean the World we know that the soaps and bottled amenities enjoyed by our guests will be recycled to help others in need. That’s not only good for the people receiving the soaps, but it’s great to know that we can do our part to improve the living conditions for people a world away.”

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Going ‘green’ in the Bluegrass State

Kentucky now has a representative hotel partner in the Clean the World recycling program, and the leadership at Hampton Inn Owensboro couldn’t be happier.

Hampton Inn Owensboro, owned by The Malcolm Bryant Corporation, helped take a leap forward with its environmental sustainability initiatives by becoming Clean the World’s first hotel partner in Kentucky. The soaps collected in the 86 rooms and suites at the Hampton Inn Owensboro will be shipped to Clean the World’s headquarters in Orlando for recycling and distribution in the United States and more than 40 countries.

“Our property is proud to be the first hospitality partner for Clean the World in the state of Kentucky,” says Meagan Magnus, general manager of Hampton Inn Owensboro. “We are confident that our participation in their hospitality partnership program will inspire other Kentucky properties to join as well to help use our resources and help turn trash into treasure to help save lives.”

And Kentucky is an attractive location that has been a target of Clean the World for some time.

“Just as it is a hotbed for thoroughbred horse racing and NCAA basketball champions, Kentucky can also become a leader in advancing our global hygiene revolution,” says Shawn Seipler, executive director at Clean the world. “Soap saves lives and guests at Hampton Inn Owensboro can be part of the solution to help stop the spread of preventable diseases simply by washing with bar soap.”

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Hollywood Slots puts Maine on the map

Guests and game players at Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway may soon turn their soaps and shampoos into life-saving treasures for people in need.

Hollywood Slots Hotel, owned by Penn National Gaming, has partnered with Clean the World to collect and recycle hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels from its 148 deluxe rooms and suites to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases. At the same time Hollywood Slots becomes the first Clean the World hotel partner in Maine.

“We’re proud to be the first hotel property in Maine to join this innovative soap recycling program,” says David M. Beaudoin, director of hotel operations at Hollywood Slots. “Clean the World has proven itself to be a positive force in the hospitality industry, including many properties that feature gaming. Our hope is to capitalize on the enthusiasm and good cheer of our guests and show them that just as their good fortunes may grow at Hollywood Slots, they can also provide good fortune in the way of soaps and shampoos for people in need around the world.”
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Put Up Your Dukes

Clean the World welcomes James Madison University volunteers

Clean the World welcomed 19 students from James Madison University to our Orlando recycling operations center today to help recycle soaps and learn about the importance of personal hygiene and how hand washing with soap can stop the spread of preventable diseases.

The students represent roughly 25% of the Alpha Phi Omega co-ed community service fraternity at JMU. While on Spring Break in Florida, these students filled their schedule with lots of service opportunities to benefit central Florida charitable organizations, such as Clean the World.
“We do an alternative spring break every year,” says Amanda Schott, a JMU junior and biology major who organized the event. “Last year we did Habitat for Humanity for a week. This year, we selected special projects each day during spring break to help a variety of organizations.”
While at Clean the World, the JMU students happily recycled soap – scraping away surface debris, bathing the soaps in a cleansing solution, and preparing them for a steam-cleaning to sanitize each bar. The soaps are recycled from nearly 800 hotel partners in North America, and they provide plenty of germ-fighting properties to help save lives for children and families in the United States and more than 40 countries.
During their visit, the JMU students helped recycle roughly 4,250 bars of soap – enough to provide soap for 425 children for a full month.
“It’s amazing what you do here, and it’s such a simple concept,” Schott says. “We take soap for granted in our country, so to know that what we are doing here today will have such an impact for children around the world, that’s very rewarding.”
Schott and her fellow JMU students spent a busy week in central Florida on the volunteer trail. Here’s a sampling of what they accomplished:
The students will present their experiences to the fraternity upon returning to JMU next week.
“For us, collectively, service is all about passion,” Schott says. “We’ve enjoyed every project because these are not the same opportunities we have in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It’s opened our eyes to situations and groups that we didn’t know existed. It’s really been a lot of fun.”

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Helping neighbors in need

Clean the World gets an abundance of publicity for our outreach efforts around the world, but closer to home there is a need as well. Especially in central Florida, well under the radar, Clean the World has distributed soap to children and families in communities where foreclosure, homelessness and a limping economy have claimed many victims.

“There will always be a demand for soaps, even in so-called good times,” says William Lowry, director of global distribution for Clean the World.

In the past few months Clean the World has stepped-up domestic distribution by donating nearly 17,000 bars of soap and hygiene products to a variety of organizations:

  • Homeless Services Network of Central Florida (1,000 bars)
  • Opportunity House (900 bars)
  • Seafarer’s House (3,000 bars)
  • Open Homes (1,000 bars)
  • Living in Faith Ministries (1,000 bars)
  • Fresh Start Ministries (3,000 bars)
  • Central Care Mission (6,000 bars)
  • Recovery House of Sanford (200 bars)
  • Celebration High School (550 bars)

“Often the needs of people in our own neighborhood get overlooked in favor of larger causes that command more media attention,” Lowry says. “We’re trying to do what we can where we can with the resources we have available. But we can always use more help and donations.”

If you know of a community or organization in need of soaps and hygiene supplies, please contact us at info@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com. If you’d like to make a financial donation to help pay for more domestic distribution to people in need, visit the donation link here.
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Clean the World hits Jackpot with Ameristar Casinos, Inc.

Adding to our growing portfolio of impressive hotel properties, Clean the World proudly welcomes Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos, Inc. to our hospitality partnership program. Ameristar’s eight properties in seven distinct markets have joined Clean the World to recycle guest room soaps and bottled amenities and raise the company’s profile for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and “green” initiatives to help the environment.

Based on Ameristar’s hotel occupancy rates, these are the monthly projections for soaps and bottled amenities to be collected from the eight properties:

– Soap: 2,301 lbs. (more than a ton!)
– Bottled amenities: 1,717 lbs.

These efforts will provide 2,455 children with soap each month.

Ameristar properties teaming with Clean the World include: Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles (greater St. Louis); Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago (Chicagoland area); Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City; Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs (Omaha, Neb., and southwestern Iowa); Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg (Jackson, Miss., and Monroe, La.); Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk (Denver metropolitan area); Cactus Petes Resort Casino and The Horseshu Hotel and Casino in Jackpot, Nev. (Idaho and the Pacific Northwest).

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Clean the World Spain launches in Canary Islands

As we broaden the reach of our global “hygiene revolution,” Clean the World recycling operations centers will be established in strategic areas around the world.


Well, we’ve just put a flag in the ground on the Canary Islands.

Clean the World Spain has been established in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa that includes Gran Canaria and Tenerife.  The Canary Islands Tourism Federation signed a collaboration agreement with Clean the World Spain. Businesses there have increasingly made strides toward greater sustainability and environmental awareness, and Clean the World Spain intends to use that as a positive force to advance soap recycling efforts in the hospitality industry.

Some reasons for hospitality businesses to join the program: Save lives, improve the environment, boost employee personal growth opportunities, elevate corporate social responsibility, increase customer satisfaction and receive tax-benefits.

“Establishments that join the Clean the World Spain hospitality partnership program will improve their international image and meet CSR objectives,” says Belinda Anta Jimenez, president of Clean the World Spain. “They will become certified partners in a successful, global soap recycling program that helps save lives.”

Clean The World Spain has contributed to the Canary Islands for the creation and implementation of a Recycling Operations Center (ROC) to serve the needs of children and families in Europe and Northern Africa. With your help and collaboration, Clean the World can make this happen.
 
If you would like your company to be a soap recycling pioneer in Spain, please contact Belinda Anta Jimenez at: banta@cleantheworld.es

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Clean the World – Then and Now

You know, it wasn’t too long ago that people wondered if recycling soap was really worth the effort. We’ll let you be the judge:

  • In less than two years, Clean the World has collected, recycled and distributed more than 7 million soap bars in the United States, Haiti and more than 40 other countries. [Find list of countries served by Clean the World on our website: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/saving-lives.asp]
  • Since the Jan. 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Clean the World has distributed 1.5 million bars of soap to that island, including 300,000 since the cholera outbreak in late October.
  • Clean the World services more than 700 hotel properties in 48 states and 9 provinces in Canada.
Flashback: Clean the World offers “Hope by the Handful” to Haiti (CBS Evening News, Jan. 2010)

Fast-forward: Shawn Seipler becomes ‘The Pied Piper of Soap’ (CBS Evening News, Oct. 2010)
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Can something we throw away save a life?

Can something we throw away save a child’s life?

Of course it can. And that’s the mission of Clean the World: Recycling soap, saving lives.
The Greenstreet Report, an environmentally focused investment publication, featured Clean the World in a Fall 2010 cover story that focuses on our attempts to stop the spread of disease in Haiti. [Add link here]

While Haiti is not our only focus, this article helps crystallize Clean the World’s mission in that troubled nation in a way that will inspire investors to support our “hygiene revolution.”

Shawn Seipler, executive director, Clean the World: “The [Clean the World] brand has incredible momentum. It stands for cleanliness, sustainability, life and hope. So much can be done to leverage those attributes to benefit partners from hoteliers to corporations and beyond. And as our partners benefit, so do the children we are working hard every day to save.”
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Soaps as far as the eyes can see…

Minnesota students deliver avalanche of soap

Despite a blizzard that closed schools, shut down area airports and collapsed the MetroDome (sorry, Vikings fans), students in Minnesota’s Edina school district came through with a tremendous haul of donated soap to help fight cholera in Haiti.
Students at several schools in the Twin Cities suburb got together in the month of December to collect 1,100 lbs. of soap – more than a ½ ton – to help children in Haiti battle an outbreak of cholera. And they sent all of their collected soaps to Clean the World for distribution in Haiti. Truly amazing…
But don’t take our word for it. Check out some of the news coverage and listen to the kids themselves. You can feel their passion and understand how meaningful this soap drive has been to them, and it won’t be their last.

Edina Students Providing Hope Through Soap 

Clean the World salutes the students, faculty and parents in Edina, Minn. for your remarkable contribution to advancing our “hygiene revolution” from your own neighborhood to neighborhoods, homes and families around the world.
Other soap donation success stories:

        G. Stanley Hall Elementary School in Glendale Heights, Ill. collected and donated 1,002 soap bars to help the children of Haiti. 
        Julius West Middle School in Rockville, Md. collected and delivered 300 lbs. of soap for Clean the World.
        Lakes Region Spirit in New Hampshire involved an entire community in a soap drive for Haiti and Clean the World. They collected nearly 7,000 soap bars from people and businesses all around their neighborhood. And they’re not done yet.
        The University of Hawaii at Manoa donated 7 boxes of soap (roughly 125 lbs.) to help stop the cholera outbreak in Haiti from nearly half-a-world away. Aloha!
        AAA Washington donated 800 soap bars as part of its annual “Soap for Hope” campaign.
        Handmade soapmaker Katie Courtney from Beautiful Tree Huggers sent a large batch of new soaps & soap remnants to help Clean the World.
        Soap distributor Richard Parmalee of Massachusetts sent us a unique collection of handmade soaps from Afghanistan, courtesy of the Arghand Cooperative.
        Karen Anne MacDonald of Melrose, Mass. has been an active shopper at the Clean the World Amazon.com store. She sent four, separate shipments direct from Amazon to Clean the World. In addition to the soaps, Clean the World receives a percentage of the sales for all soaps purchased at this dedicated Amazon.com store. It’s a no-hassle way to benefit Clean the World with soap and donations to keep us moving forward into 2011.
        8-year-old Elizabeth O’Brien started her own soap drive in Merrimack Valley, Mass. and collected more than 200 soap bars in less than a month.
        7-year-old Jayden Sanders of Zionsville, Ind., went door-to-door with a friend in her neighborhood, and filled her red wagon with a large box full of new soaps and $46 to help pay for their distribution.
        Another young girl, Anna Jensen of Wheaton, Ill., sent two big packages of soaps with a note that read: “Hi, my name is Anna. I collected soap for Haiti to keep Haiti people safe. Thank you for sending it to them.”
And there are so many more people, organizations, corporations and partners who have come forward with soap donations this year. We can’t possibly thank you all individually (well, we could, but the newsletter would be really, really long). So, we’ll say a simple “thank you” to all who support Clean the World and who will continue to support our “hygiene revolution” in the new year.
We all have blessings to share. Thanks for helping Clean the World.
Shawn Seipler
Executive Director
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Giving thanks for recycling soap, delivering hope

Our mission at Clean the World is simple, but profound. We are leading a “hygiene revolution” to stop the spread of preventable diseases by providing life-saving soap. But we couldn’t accomplish any of this without your help, and for that, we are forever grateful.

As many U.S. citizens celebrate Thanksgiving Day and people around the world prepare for Christmas and Channukah holidays, we all should give thanks for the many blessings we receive daily. While doing so, we need to realize that there are many others who are less fortunate, and who may benefit from our help at this time of year.

Each day around the world more than 9,000 children die from diseases that can be prevented through proper hand washing with soap. Our global mission to put soap in the hands of people who need it most will help ensure that in the future children have a chance to live healthy lives.

Clean the World has distributed more than 6 million bars of soap worldwide in less than two years. This would not be possible without the generosity and support of our hotel partners, fans and followers throughout the globe. And I want to take this time to thank you personally for your generosity.

Let’s give thanks to…

Our more than 550 hotel partners in North America who provide the bulk of the soaps and bottled amenities that are distributed throughout the world. You are a tremendous resource for good and your dedication to corporate social responsibility should be admired and rewarded by guests who stay at your properties.

Our global distribution partners, such as World Vision, Floating Doctors, and others who help deliver our soaps worldwide and personally place them in the hands of children and families who directly benefit from our hygiene revolution. May God bless your efforts always.

Our volunteers who come to Clean the World and selflessly dedicated their time and talent to our mission. Girls Scout troops, Boy Scout troops, public and private schools; corporations, chambers of commerce, medical associations and meeting planners – we thank you all for your dedication to Clean the World and your advocacy of our programs far and wide.

Our donors who continually send us soap in small and large quantities all with the best intentions in mind. Your painstaking efforts to collect and send soaps on our behalf keep us motivated and help support our hotel collection efforts in a very meaningful way that benefits children and families.

Our Clean the World staff members, who through their own tireless dedication continually remind us all of that passion is priceless, especially in a “non-profit” environment.

Special thanks to Diane Jaffari, who passed away recently. As a dedicated supporter of Clean the World she buoyed our spirits and cheered us on. In her memory, we have created a memorial page for her friends and family to make donations to Clean the World, something her son says “would make her immensely proud.” http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/dianejaffari.asp.

And to the countless supporters, Facebook followers and Twitter fans who continually spread the word about Clean the World and share our mission with people we may never meet via social media. We’re closer to you than you think. Thanks for keeping Clean the World on your mind and in your hearts. We couldn’t ask for anything more.

And our financial donors who send us money online and via traditional mail to help support our soap recycling and distribution efforts. We hope you’ll continue to do so and encourage you to share this donation link with friends and family: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/donate-money.asp. Your generosity, particularly in the form of financial donations to Clean the world, will be richly rewarded when you realize the good your contribution will do:

$25 provides 85 children with soap for one month
$50 provides 170 children with soap for one month
$100 provides 340 children with soap for one month
$500 provides 1,700 children with soap for one month
$1000 provides 3,400 children with soap for one month

We recently filed our first IRS Form 990 which shows that more than 96 percent of your donations go directly toward the life-saving mission of Clean the World. That is well-above average for non-profit organizations, as we are doing all we can to streamline operations and maximize the benefits of your thoughtful gift.

So, thank you… all of you… for supporting Clean the World. We are empowered by your efforts and are strengthened by your passion.

Thank you for helping Clean the World.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Shawn Seipler

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Oh, What a Knight!

You don’t have to be a college football fan to enjoy this story, but we are, so that makes it even better.
Paul Till & Shawn Seipler of Clean the World
Clean the World was honored in Orlando as “Holler-Classic Heroes” during the Oct. 6 Conference USA clash between the University of Central Florida Knights and the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers. The UCF-UAB game was broadcast nationally on ESPN.

UCF won the football game rather handily, 42-7. But the real action took place during the third quarter.

Clean the World co-founders Shawn Seipler and Paul Till were called onto the field during a TV timeout and were introduced as “local heroes” for their work on behalf of people worldwide who are in need of soap and improved hygiene education.

Shawn and Paul smiled and waved as an announcer shared the Clean the World mission of helping to fight preventable diseases with simple access to bar soap. The sell-out crowd at UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium seemed to appreciate the message and, hopefully, will support our cause.
The honor was sponsored by HollerClassic, an Orlando-area auto dealership group. We are humbled and deeply appreciative of the recognition, but wish to thank all of our volunteers for your continued support of Clean the World.

Your contributions of time and talent, more than anything, will be the true measure of our success – and a true light of hope for people desperately in need of soap and hygiene supplies.

If you’d like to donate to Clean the World, or if you know of a person or organization who would like to make a financial donation, please click here.
Again, your contributions help support our efforts and will put soap in the hands of children and families whose lives depend on your generosity.
Thanks to HollerClassic for honoring us as Holler-Classic Heroes, and thanks to all of you for helping Clean the World.
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Soap Feels Like Home

What have you done lately to help your neighbor?


It’s so easy to get lost in our own world, consumed by our own challenges. But if we ask that simple question, we open a world of possibility for personal and professional growth.

At Clean the World, we take our responsibilities to our neighbors very seriously. We’re blessed to be able to grow an organization in central Florida, and we’re happy to expand our soap recycling mission around the globe. We’ve been fortunate enough to distribute our recycled soaps and bottled amenities to more than 30 countries worldwide, but we never lose sight of the needs of people in our own backyard.
Recycled hygiene products have made their way into the hands of needy people in central Florida and beyond. Local homeless shelters, domestic abuse safe havens, and women’s shelters have received multiple deliveries of hygiene kits each month through Clean the World.

Here’s just one example: Sanford Hope Team. The Seminole County charity locates and cares for homeless people in the communities north of Orlando, Fla. They go into the woods and speak with homeless people living there, get to know them better and offer help in the form of hygiene kits that include our soap.

Just last week, two members of the team received 500 bars of recycled soaps from Clean the World that have been distributed to people who need them most. No questions asked.

“People are reluctant to step forward and say they need help, but we try to be a discreet as possible,” says Anthony Saunders, outreach specialist at Sanford Hope Team. “We understand that people have pride and we respect that. But once they call, most are very courteous and grateful to receive help. They just want to be clean.”

Saunders and his fellow outreach specialist, Doug Little, estimate that there are more than 500 homeless people in the Sanford area. Some have been homeless for years; others have just fallen on tough times during a lingering economic recession.

“Many have lost businesses, lost their homes, and lost hope,” Saunders says. “There are homeless military veterans who have struggled to find jobs. They’re not just people looking for handouts. They have dignity. Basic soap is so important to them. It’s really humbling to see how people live. We take so much for granted, but when you see this every day, it’s heartbreaking.”

And that’s why Clean the World is happy to help. Our soaps and bottled amenities are paired with shaving cream, washcloths, socks and underwear to form hygiene kits that are distributed to people in need. We’re just a small part of that package, but we are proud to help in any way possible. The goal, of course, is to eliminate the need, but until we do, we’ll keep providing recycled soaps wherever a need arises.

Sanford Hope Team is just one of the local central Florida charities served by Clean the World and our hotel partners. We also have domestic distribution of recycled soaps and bottled amenities to Orlando Union Rescue Mission, The Salvation Army of Central Florida, various church and school groups, and individuals and smaller groups on request. Soap cleanses, and it feels like home. It also uplifts the spirit – of those receiving the gift and those who do the giving.

Each day around the world more than 9,000 children die from preventable diseases, such as acute respiratory illness and diarrheal disease, because they don’t have the opportunity to wash with bar soap.  Whether these children are in the United States or in foreign countries, they deserve a better fate.

We can help prevent the spread of disease simply by increasing the availability of germ-killing, life-saving soap. That’s how we help our neighbors. Now, how will you help yours?


One final note with sadness, but great respect and admiration, Clean the World offers its condolences to the Sanford Hope Team, who recently lost a key member of their team.  Steve “Rocky” Cook was instrumental in connecting Sanford Hope Team with Clean the World. Rocky died suddenly this month after a brief battle with cancer. He will be remembered in our hearts and prayers, but also in the continued work of the Sanford Hope Team and their dedication to eliminating homelessness in Seminole County.

Thanks for helping Clean the World,
Shawn Seipler
Executive Director
Clean the World
www.cleantheworld.org
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Clean the World is Turning Japanese

Sushi? Nope, it’s soap!!

We’ve been fortunate at Clean the World to receive quite a bit of positive media attention for our soap recycling and distribution efforts. You’ve seen us featured on Fox News Channel, CNN, CBS Evening News and many local TV broadcasts. And you may have read about us in USA Today, many local newspapers and magazines – and this blog.
But this week we went global in a big way. TV Tokyo broadcast a special report on Clean the World during its Aug. 31 evening broadcast that originates from New York. It will be rebroadcast Sept. 5 in the United States and twice in Japan during the next week. That’s wide-ranging exposure for Clean the World that should help improve our outreach among Asian nations and hotel partners. And we’re very excited to receive feedback from potential partners and eager soap recycling supporters all over the world.

We were honored with a two-day visit in early August by TV Tokyo producer Mariko Daicho and her crew, who spent considerable time at our Orlando headquarters and with some of our Orlando hotel partners. The crew filmed our soap recycling operation – from delivery to initial scraping; steam-cleaning to sanitization; repackaging and delivery. Quite a process to capture in a single news story, but it’s something we are proud to do every day for people in need.

The TV Tokyo story examines Clean the World’s success in helping recycle soap for impoverished children and families, but it does so from a business perspective:

        Why should corporations join with Clean the World to help expand our mission?
        How can hotel partners work with Clean the World to improve the environment, eliminate landfill waste and help repurpose hotel soaps for communities who may never visit their hotels?
        How do you leverage a business imperative for social good?
We hope you’ll all be watching. And even though the story is in Japanese, I’m sure the positive message will translate to all who see it and cheer for a cleaner, healthier world.

Many thanks to our friends at the Peabody Orlando hotel for helping provide professional courtesy and an interview space for several segments. And special thanks to Marshall Kelberman, director of rooms administration at Peabody Orlando, for being so gracious and accommodating during the TV Tokyo visit.

Once the story airs in Japan, we’ll share the link with you. We’ll hope to translate all the good parts and share them with you in a future blog post. Stay tuned…
Thanks for helping us Clean the World,
Shawn Seipler
Executive Director
Clean the World
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Explosive Growth & Celebration at Clean the World

July proved to be an explosive month for Clean the World.  We welcomed new partner properties at a record-breaking pace, expanded our operations throughout North America, and onboarded many noteworthy properties, including a rather exclusive property in south Florida. 

Clean the World added 56 properties as recycling partners in the month of July alone. This brings our total count of participating properties to more than 300 resorts, hotels, and bed and breakfasts in 39 states. This is an incredible achievement, and we are truly grateful to each of our partners for helping us eliminate the needless waste hitting our landfills while providing life-saving soap to impoverished people the world over.
The potential impact of this effort is staggering. These 56 properties added in July equate to 6,757 rooms, each outfitted with plentiful soaps and shampoos for guests. These rooms provide more than 8,492 lbs. of discarded amenities, which now will be diverted from landfills due to our recycling efforts.  Also, by recycling the soaps from these rooms, nearly 5,188 needy children will have enough soap to keep themselves clean for an entire month. Now that’s cause for celebration!
We would like to make special mention of several distinguished properties that have joined the Clean the World family. The W Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a luxurious Starwood property along Florida’s Gold Coast, is one of the premier East Coast properties.  Having been awarded AAA’s Four Diamond award, The W is truly a work of art, and Clean the World is proud to display a gem like The W in our crown.
We want to share the love with our friends from the north as well. The Radisson Plaza in Kalamazoo, Mich., has also joined our amenity recycling program.  At 341 rooms, the Radisson Plaza is a force to be reckoned with in the hospitality industry. We look forward to capitalizing on this wonderful opportunity to take its slightly used amenities and use them to save lives.

Finally, Clean the World will pull on its snow boots and prepare for an avalanche of partnership success in the Great White North.  Clean the World has officially launched the Canadian branch of our amenity recycling program, and in its first week of operation, our Canadian partners have delivered a lovely, quaint property in Victoria, British Columbia.

Abigail’s Hotel is an exquisite property nestled in the heart of downtown Victoria. This 1930s Tudor-style building is absolutely breathtaking.  Expedia Insiders has rated Abigail’s among the top one percent of hotels worldwide. Adding the soap recycling program to this elegant property should only boost its already impressive standing among future guests.

As always, we are blown away by the continued response to our recycling, life-saving program.  And we look forward to seeing what the future holds for Clean the World. With the help of our current and future partners, we will be able to change the course of history in our lifetime – one bar of soap at a time.
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U.S. Navy Enlists Clean the World

The USS Iwo Jima deployed July 19th, 2010 for Operation Continuing Promise, an annual humanitarian operation that provides health care and other relief services to communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.  This is a mission tailored to save lives, reduce human suffering and capitalize on training opportunities in Central and South America.

Rob Phillips & Commander Lewis Preddy
Clean the World’s Media Director, Jeremy Chambers, and Rob Phillips NGO Relationship Director caught up with the Iwo Jima at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville on July 17th, where final preparations for the humanitarian mission were underway. They were met by CDR Preddy, who has been working diligently with Clean the World and AeroBridge Executive Director Maryanne Stevenson. Phillips and Stevenson spearheaded an effort to collect over 100 pallets of soap, disinfectant, medical supplies, dental supplies, tents, tarps and 48 pallets of Gatorade. Clean the World, with a generous donation from Marietta Corporation, is sending over 50,000 bars of soap to distribute during the deployment. Special thanks to Haiti-supply relief experts at Compassion Alliance in Ocala, Florida and all of the compassionate organizations that sent supplies from across the U.S., much of it moved on short notice by our good friends at Eagle Freight, LLC., who without hesitation, jumped into the mission!
The last of the supplies, as well as several hundred additional pallets of goods donated by more than 30 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), were loaded at the port of Miami before proceeding on the first leg of the mission in Port de Paix, Haiti. In Miami, Phillips, Stevenson and Chambers met up with the Iwo Jima to bid Bon Voyage to the cargo, the crew and the wide-eyed NGO volunteers who are going aboard for the 120 day mission.
Continuing Promise 2010, will include humanitarian and civic assistance activities in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama and Suriname, and will be supported by a crew of approximately 1,600 military and civilian medical, engineering, aviation, logistical and other support personnel.

The military and civilian medical team aboard Iwo Jima will provide general surgical, primary and consultative care; ophthalmologic services; optometric services; preventative and environmental health; dental screenings and treatment; public health training; and veterinary services. The team will work alongside medical personnel and NGOs from each of the countries during the deployment.

USS Iwo Jima
U.S. Navy engineers, known as Seabees, will conduct building repairs and improvements, small construction projects, utility system repairs and other engineering assistance projects for local communities during the mission. Approximately 500 Marines will provide aviation, ground and logistical support to the mission and conduct subject-matter-expert exchanges on various medical and engineering topics.

Large amphibious ships, like the 844 foot, 41,000 ton Iwo Jima, resemble small aircraft carriers and include the ability to rapidly move personnel and cargo by helicopter and landing craft, making it an ideal platform to support humanitarian relief missions on short notice. Iwo Jima will operate in the Caribbean basin, an area with a history of severe weather events during the peak months of the hurricane season.


The crew of the Iwo Jima will be joined during the mission by medical, dental and engineering professionals from Canada, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands and Paraguay.

This is the fifth such deployment to the region since 2007. Continuing Promise crews have treated more than 265,000 patients during previous missions
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Please Remember the People of Haiti by William Lowry

Six months after the devastating earthquake that ravaged the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Progress is slow. Before the earthquake struck, it was a challenge everyday for most Haitians to find work, find food, find medical attention, and find hope. Those everyday challenges have only been multiplied greatly since that catastrophic day.

Nearly all Haitians I spoke with before the quake, made it clear that in their need for help, they were not looking for a handout. They only needed help to get up and on their feet, a chance to create opportunity. Consistently, I found these good people were committed to receiving help and then becoming helpers. There was a constant belief that they could turn things around. If belief was enough, in the hands of these believers, things would turn around quickly for this small nation.

But belief is not enough and the challenges are many. Overcoming the lack of industry, the lack of education, the lack of good soil, the lack of trees, the impact of settled traditions, the lack of leadership, the elements of corruption, the lack of financial resources, the absence of structure, and the unplanned affect weather alone has caused, can at times make Haiti’s battles seem overwhelming. Yet they are a resilient people who have learned to deal with everything they have faced.

Today, tent cities abound. People are having to adapt to these temporary structures and close communities. Great concerns about health issues needfully exist as outbreaks of malaria and diarrheal disease rise and fall. You can only imagine the setting – a camp that has just experienced a heavy rainfall. There is no place for the water to go and the walking areas and “streets” are not paved or graveled so they all become a blanket of mud. Water leaks in the tents and runs into the flooring of many. Mud is tracked everywhere and when the rains subside, the sun comes out, and things begin to dry, there is a layer of dry dirt on just about everything. These circumstances are currently the best available for thousands upon thousands of Haitians, young and old. The quake spared noone in Haiti.

However, rebuilding has begun. Throughout the destructed areas, people, organizations, and the government are beginning to rebuild. First there is the removal of the massive amounts of rubble, then a temporary structure, and then the new construction. Money flows slowly into Haiti, both to and through the government, as uncertainty about upcoming elections remain and scrutiny is maintained due to fears of corruption. The past haunts Haiti. Some very unscrupulous leaders in the past squandered and stole millions of aid money and lined their own pockets, all while leaving the Haitian people in their misery. Noone wants to see that happen again and as the money flows toward meaningful effort, the long-sought and arduous journey of rebuilding takes place.

Clean the World joins the many good organizations that are helping Haiti recover. The needs are many and no single organization has the ability to address every need. But working together, alongside the Haitian people, we bring hope, help, and hands. The effort will take patience and consistent work. We have moved beyond the initial crisis and have settled into a daily grind of steady labor.

You can help!! You can make a difference in Haiti. First, by not forgetting. Remember the massive dimensions of the destruction that hit Haiti. Second, find a good organization and give money to help that organization have the resources needed. Third, volunteer. Make yourself available to organizations who are helping Haiti. You can give more than money. You could even go to Haiti to help. Fourth, pray. Remember the good people of Haiti in your prayers, especially the children. So many are parentless, homeless, orphaned, injured, and sick.

Haiti is a nation of over 9 million people nestled among Caribbean islands just 600 miles from Florida. They are the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The poorest country was made poorer by the quake. It would be a shame to forget them if they were on the other side of the planet. Even less acceptable to forget them when they are at our back door.

Please remember the people of Haiti!!!!

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Chase Community Giving Grant

Voting has already begun…only six days left!

The Chase Community Giving Grant will be awarded to 200 charities. One charity will receive $250,000. Four others will be awarded $100,000, and the remaining 195 will receive $20,000.

What does this mean for Clean the World? These dollars translate into more recycled soap and more deaths prevented. Nearly 350 tons of soap are thrown away by hotels in the US every day. More than 13,000 lives are lost to diarrhea and pneumonia every day.

$20,000 would provide soap for over 4,000 families of five for one year.
$100,000 would allow us to purchase previously-owned soap equipment to increase our recycling capabilities by 500%.
$250,000 would increase our recycling efforts by 500%, PLUS 20,000 children born today could live to celebrate their third birthday – thanks to hand washing with soap.

HOW TO VOTE:  Voting has begun on Facebook and will continue until July 13. Vote here or click the Chase image above. First, you must “like” the Chase Community Giving application. Then, click the green banner “Get Started to Vote.” Follow the prompt and then click the green button “Vote Now.” That’s it!

Help us continue to stop needless waste and senseless death. Vote for us, and be sure to tell your friends to vote for us, too!

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PRESS RELEASE: Gilchrist & Soames, Clean the World Enter Exclusive Partnership

Indianapolis, IN – Thursday, June 17, 2010 – Gilchrist & Soames today announced a three-year exclusive partnership with Orlando, Florida-based Clean the World, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to saving lives and preserving the environment through an innovative hotel amenities recycling program.

 “We have been in talks with Clean the World for quite a while, and our joint efforts during the aftermath of the January earthquake in Haiti really kicked things into gear for us,” said Kathie De Voe, president of Gilchrist & Soames. “We ultimately made the decision to formalize a long-term relationship.”

The strategic alliance with Gilchrist & Soames will help Clean the World realize their mission to prevent infant mortality in developing nations while also reducing environmental waste.

“We are thrilled to be working with Gilchrist & Soames. They have a deep commitment to the environment and to the life-saving mission of Clean the World. They will be invaluable in expanding our innovative recycling program through their partner hotels, and through their assistance, Clean the World is able to build out our network of Recycling Operation Centers (ROCs) for sanitizing and repacking partially used guest amenities,” said Shawn Seipler, co-founder of Clean the World Foundation. “Gilchrist & Soames is simply the right partner at the right time. We are grateful for their support.”

As part of the exclusive arrangement, Gilchrist & Soames is helping to fund the expansion of Clean the World’s infrastructure. Additionally, Gilchrist & Soames is afforded exclusive rights to offer Clean the World’s life-saving recycling program to hotels worldwide, which means that any hotel property can join the Clean the World program by contacting Gilchrist & Soames.

About Gilchrist & Soames
Gilchrist & Soames is a leading provider of cosmetic-grade toiletry collections for world-class hotels, exclusive resorts, and distinguished spas, inns, and bed & breakfasts. Specializing in servicing the luxury market, Gilchrist & Soames’ products can be found in discerning properties throughout the world. Gilchrist & Soames is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and Peterborough, London, England. The company is wholly-owned by Swander Pace Capital, San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.gilchristsoames.com.

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Where Luxury Meets Family in Miami

As we continue to grow our Clean the World family, it’s nice to know that our hospitality partners are thinking of family, too.  And I’m talking specifically about Loews Miami Beach, where the combination of sun and Euro-trendiness draws visitors from all over the world.  The bonus at Loews is their love for kids, which is clear from the number of fun programs and amenities they offer families and with the adoption of Clean the World’s Hospitality Recycling Program, designed at delivering soap and other hygiene products to children across the globe.

At Loews Miami Beach, if you want to enjoy swimming in their oceanfront swimming pool, or maybe lounge in one of the private cabanas complete with plasma TVs and VIP privacy, you can rest easy knowing your children are having a blast at one of the supervised Kidbanas by the pool – including a brand new PBteen Cabana with decoration by Pottery Barn, creating the perfect teen lounge spot to listen to music or play the Nintendo Wii – or, perhaps your kids are enjoying a supervised recreational program or kids’ camp.  Loews offers Fisher-Price welcome gifts, lending libraries of games, special children’s menus with healthy options, and more.

But don’t think it’s all about the kids.  Loews Miami Beach has six restaurants and bars, including a restaurant by world-renowned Chef Emeril Lagasse.  Elemis Spa and Fitness Center offers 24 different treatments, including side-by-side couples massage rooms, a rooftop sun deck, Jacuzzi tubs, and a co-ed Calming Lounge, not to mention the personal training sessions, spinning, yoga, and Pilates classes – and let’s not forget the nonstop views of the tropical pool and Atlantic Ocean.

With all this, you’d think it would be hard to leave – and the luxury lounging available at Loews might make it that way – but don’t forget to get out and enjoy the Miami Seaquarium or the Vizcaya Museum Gardens, with 10 acres of relaxing beauty and an Italian Renaissance-style villa  – not to mention Miami Beach’s renowned restaurant and nightlife scenes.

Whatever your pick in Miami beach – sun and water, architectural beauty, people-watching, or cuisine indulgence – make sure you check out our friends at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.  It’s the perfect combination of stylish technology and fun for the whole family.

And what a fabulous edition such a spectacular hotel- Loews Miami Beach is now a parnter and commited to Clean the World!

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Going Big in the Big Apple: Meet Peter Insalaco

As you probably noticed, we are adding hotels to our hospitality program in the New York-metro area.  The New York Palace Hotel, The New Yorker Hotel, and The Muse Hotel kicked off our Big Apple partnerships – and we say ‘kicked off’ because we are planning to go big, thanks to Peter Insalaco, our Clean the World Regional Director. 

A native New Yorker, Peter comes to us with a passion for the environment and for saving lives – two essential components of our mission.  As co-founder and CEO of Eco-Action Marketing, Peter dipped his toes into cause marketing and the world of social entrepreneurism – not to mention the great Pacific, where he swam with dolphins while he lived in Hawaii, but that’s another story.

“I feel compelled by the fact that Clean the World can literally help millions of children around the world through the most cost-effective and simplest solution: recycling soap that is already being thrown away,” said Peter.  “And the ‘Changing Lives’ video – once I saw that, I was hooked.”

New York is a hotspot for hotels, with over 200 hotels in the city alone.  The potential impact Clean the World will have by expanding into New York – with our very own New York Recycling Operations Center opening soon! – is enormous.  We will circumvent tons of waste from landfills and use the base as a new shipping and operating point from which to collect and send out more soap – giving the world a small taste of what the Big Apple can do.

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Changing History in a City that Changed History


Clean the World has finally landed in the City of Brotherly Love.  The Sheraton Philadelphia University City (http://www.philadelphiasheraton.com/) has recently joined our life saving soap and amenity recycling program.  As an organization one of our goals is to change the course of history, so it is only fitting to find such a wonderful partner in the very city that has changed the course of human history.
The Sheraton Philadelphia University City truly has everything to offer, whether a site-seeing vacationer or the traveling businessman.  The Sheraton is home to 332 luxurious rooms, all of which feature their signature Sweet Sleeper beds, in-room computers, remote printing, 37 inch LCD TV’s, and complimentary wifi internet access.
Stay on top of your game in the 24-hour Fitness Center.  Complete with touch screen equipment, heart rate monitor, iPod playlist integration, and a breathtaking view of the Philadelphia skyline.  The Sheraton is also home to a seasonal outdoor pool that invites you to take a crack at some of Phelps’ records, or just pull up a chair and take in some rays.
If sightseeing is your desire, there may be no better city than Philadelphia.  Philadelphia is truly one of the richest historic locations in the entire modern world.  See where our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, visit the Liberty Bell, and definitely don’t skip out on the Franklin Institute.  There are countless museums and fine arts facilities to visit as well.  For the kids, the Please Touch Museum is a must.  Hands on learning that encourages both parents and children to engage in interactive learning exhibits.
On your next trip to the City of Brotherly Love be sure to stop and stay with our friends at The Sheraton Philadelphia University City, and tell them thank you for helping Clean the World reach our goal of saving 1,000,000 lives every year.

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The Canebrake Philosophy…

As we blog to draw attention to the wonderful properties that have committed to Clean the World’s unique recycling program, we seek to find the characteristics and traits that define the property. With the Canebrake, found here: http://www.thecanebrake.com/index.html it is very clear: they are full and whole heartedly committed the beauty and preservation of our environment and total wellness of life.

From their web site, here is the Canebrake’s Philosophy:
“The Canebrake staff aspires to get the most out of life and to share that same desire with our guests. We are dedicated stewards of the earth’s abundance, obligated to enjoying all of it and committed to sharing our passion with our guests. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff provides personal service and attention to every detail, allowing you to participate as much or as little as you like.”

Located in northeast Oklahoma’s Green Country, The Canebrake is focused on their guest‘s ability to regroup and rejuvenate. With beautifully decorated rooms and cottages, that include spa tubs and fireplaces, the Canebrake is incredibly cozy and sets a relaxing atmosphere to regroup. And with incredible massage and spa experiences and a full slate of yoga activities, rejuvenation is clearly defined.

The Canebrake is also incredibly committed to their environment. They follow a very clear environmental policy which seeks to “lessen their impact on local and global environment conserving energy, water, and other natural resources; reducing waste generation; recycling and purchasing recycled products; and reducing our use of toxic materials.” How do we know this to be true? Well, they have now incorporated Clean the World’s recycling program into their environmental initiatives as a way to not only protect their beautiful Oklahoma land, but also to provide a life saving necessity to those in need across our globe.

As a clear testament to their stated philosophy, we thank The Canebrake for joining Clean the World’s Hospitality Partnership Program.

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HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF: The need is still so great…

The following it s a note received from William Lowry who is in Haiti coordinating our relief efforts:

Brutus and I arrived back in Haiti on Sunday. Upon arrival, we were immediately approached by one of our local staff members, Wilbert, who had been at the airport receiving supplies and doctors during the morning. He shared with me that there was a six month old child who had been severely burned and had not been able to receive help from anyone. He informed me that a navy helicopter had just left, and that a medical group in another helicopter had just left, because there was no place to take this little girl to be treated in Haiti. The effort was being made to get her to the U.S. to be treated. There were three U.S. doctors at the airport who had been working in hospitals during the week and were involved in the effort. I spoke to the pilot and asked if he was willing to take the mother and her daughter Michaelle to the U.S. He said he was. We continued to work with Immigration and Customs here at the airport to get them to release her. Finally, after a lot of requesting and a lot of witnessed signatures, they released her.

The plane took off and we all stood believing that we had made it slightly possible for her life to be saved. Shortly after the plane departed, I called the customs office in Ft. Lauderdale to inform them of the situation. The three doctors who were on board, cared for Michaelle to the states and then made arrangements for her to be placed at the burn unit in Jacksonville. The last word we received was that she was still alive.

The number of victims from the earthquake is staggering. The number of dead truly marks this as one of the worst human disasters in history. The untold story lays in the number of wounded. There is a massive migration to the north. It is anticipated that as many as 100,000 will go to Gonieves in the next few months, and that as many as 200,000 people will have arrived in Cap Haitien within three months. Cap Haitien is a very crowded city of 1,000,000 people. It is the second largest city in Haiti and at one time in the past served as the Capital. An additional 200,000 people would represent an increase of 20% in just three months. Among those are huge numbers of injured. Their injuries are drastically varied. One doctor described it as similar to Viet Nam. The difficulties this has caused already on hospitals and clinics threatens the very lives of the ones who are being cared for. We have been in discussions with two major hospitals and three other organizations about the need for post-op care. An idea is to establish a “tent city”. A tent city strategically located between the hospitals can be staffed by the hospitals and the visiting doctors from around the world. This same discussion is being held in Gonaives. So many people are being operated on with life saving surgeries that there is no space for post-op care. If proper post-op care is not provided, the people who are saved from a life-threatening surgery will die following the surgery in post-op. This process is already being applied in Port Au Prince.

On Tuesday, we received nearly 50 pallets of supplies on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We had trucks ready to receive these pallets. The pallets were broken down to get the most number of items in each truck as possible. We worked until late into the night to load them along with a couple of other organizations, because we knew that if they were left on the pier without armed guard, they would disappear in the night by bandits in small boats. The pallets we received included CTW soap, medical supplies, medicines, surgery kits, canned food, cereal, rice, hurricane kits, paper goods, bags, and water. It was truly awesome to see the massive quantities that had the ability to help many many people.

A word on Royal Caribbean. We are so grateful that Royal Caribbean has chosen to stay in Haiti. At a time when things have become so difficult for the people of Haiti, to pull out would have caused the loss of significant jobs, income for the economy of Haiti, and no opportunity for these supplies to get in at no cost to organizations such as ours. David Southby and Broder Schutt are incredible individuals who care deeply about the people of Haiti. They are loading and unloading geniuses. They are fantastic to work with and have gone above and beyond to get supplies to people who need them. We know there are also many fantastic individuals in south Florida who are making it happen in a big way in the U.S. also. Hats off to you RCC. We look forward to a longstanding working relationship in the months to come.

On Wednesday, we provided a “Skyped” account of our efforts in Haiti to children at the Avalon Elementary School. They asked questions and then presented CTW with a check for nearly $2,000.00. We then began distribution of the supplies. We sent supplies to Justinien Hospital, Milot Hospital, Eben Ezer Hospital, Hope for Haiti Clinic, and several orphanages. We distributed more than 20% of the supplies in the first day.

Today, which is Thursday, we will distribute another 40% to groups who are providing these supplies to the people who need it. Today we will meet with the owner and captain of a large ship that can transport 200 pallets at a time from Labadee, where the Royal Caribbean Port is, around to Cap Haitien. By doing so, we will eliminate the need to transport these supplies in trucks across the treacherous road from Labadee to Cap Haitien. This will save time and money. We are going to view two additional warehouse/sites with Paul and Brian from Compassion Alliance with whom we are partnering in Haiti. They are from Ocala and are doing the same things we are. This will strengthen both of our ability to get the supplies off the ship and distributed to those in need. We have located 4 additional trucks that can be used along with Compassion Alliance’s three. This will help us greatly.

I received an email from the Director of Food this morning stating that they are in desperate need of food for the patients. We immediately made arrangements for a significant amount of food to be delivered to the hospital.

The U.S. Army has arrived to assist in Cap Haitien. They also are at the Mont Jolie. We have begun networking with them as they are there to assess and to help with the logistics. We informed them of the need for doctors in Gonieves. They stated that they had 200 doctors in Port Au Prince that were looking to be used in a more needed location. They were going to make arrangements to begin to provide these doctors to Gonieves. Things are beginning to become much more organized and much more efficient. However, no one seems to believe that we are prepared yet for the massive numbers of people who need help.

The supply needs continue to be water, medicines, medical supplies, food, tents, tarps, and hygiene products. As time goes forward, there may be a greater need for generators to supply electricity to tent cities.

This is a monumental task, We at Clean the World are so truly grateful for your support, prayers, resources, and care. America has stepped up as always to be a beacon of hope in a hopeless situation. Clean the World is right there ready and able to help. We need your help more than ever. We need to continue to receive supplies and the resources and funds to distribute them.

Please help us continue to help the people of Haiti!!!!


William Lowry
Director of Global Development

Clean the World

www.cleantheworld.org
Listen to our Audio Blog   Dial 712-432-6537



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ALERT: Gilchrist & Soames Joins Clean The World In Haiti Relief Effort

Indianapolis-based luxury amenity supplier to send over 22,000 pounds of personal care products to stricken nation

INDIANAPOLIS (January 26, 2010) – Gilchrist & Soames today announced that it is teaming up with Clean The World Foundation to facilitate the delivery of over 22,000 pounds of personal care products to victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

“In response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, Gilchrist & Soames decided to make a donation of personal care products to support the relief efforts currently underway to help the nearly three million people in Haiti who are waiting for assistance. We are thrilled to be able to work with Clean the World Foundation to provide critical help to the Haitian people,” said Kathie De Voe, president of Gilchrist & Soames.

Twenty skids (22,330 lbs) of personal care items – shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shower gel, bar soap and dental rinse – will be airlifted to Haiti and distributed by a team of Clean the World Foundation workers.

Shawn Seipler, co-founder of Clean the World foundation said, “The scope of destruction caused by this disaster is compounded by the fact that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. There is a desperate need for even the most basic necessities. We are so pleased that Gilchrist & Soames has stepped up to assist Clean the World in providing personal care products to our relief efforts.”

About Gilchrist & Soames
Gilchrist & Soames is a leading provider of cosmetic-grade toiletry collections for world-class hotels, exclusive resorts, and distinguished spas, inns, and bed & breakfasts. Specializing in servicing the luxury market, Gilchrist & Soames’ products can be found in discerning properties throughout the world. Gilchrist & Soames is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and Peterborough, London, England. The company is wholly-owned by Swander Pace Capital, San Francisco. For more information, visit www.gilchristsoames.com.

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ALERT: Rob Phillips Coordinates Emergency Flight and Care for Baby Michaelson

Over the past week, Rob Phillips, Relationship Coordinator, has been coordinating all flights for Clean the World in partnership with Corporate Aviators Responding in Emergencies (CARE). He works very closely with the pilots, passengers and other CARE personnel to ensure doctors, first responders, medicine and hygiene products are being flown into Haiti. Additionally, he works to ensure planes returning to the US are loaded with doctors that must return or Haitian residents that need to leave the country. Here is an email received by Rob Phillips at 5:00pm ET, Sunday January 24:

Rob,

We need you to help the pilots John Cunningham & Mike Magnus who flew myself Tom Larkin & my friend Gene Bates from Ft. Lauderdale today. They transported us on tail #N304SE. We got here fine. They are returning with two Americans a Haitian mother and baby who has burns and needs to be treated at Miami burn center.

They could use immediate transportation to the Miami burn center but they also need your help in clearing the Haitian mother & child through US customs. The mother is Dieula Poleon and her child is Michaelson. I do not know the nature of the burns but at least one of the extra American travelers is a doctor.  If you can help clear them through customs in the USA &Providenicales Intl. (Turkos Caikos) the pilots would be very grateful.

Thank you for all your help in these matters.

Tom Larkin
Exhibit Consultant

Rob immediately sprung into action to assist. First, he established communication with William Lowry, on the ground in Cap Haitien to assess the situation. William confirmed that the girl indeed needed emergency medical attention as soon as possible.

One of the issues here was that the pilot did not have the appropriate paperwork for the Dieula and her child, Michaelson. At risk of losing his license, the pilot understood the situation and decided to fly the child to Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) anyway. Rob Phillips contacted US Customs and border control to alert of the situation and delver the appropriate information (which had been gathered by William Lowry in Haiti while the plane was in the air). Rob then coordinated with Jackson Memorial hospital to ensure emergency vehicles and medics were ready on the ground when the plane landed.

After a few brief, tense moments, the child was transported to Jackson Memorial. The child has very bad burn wounds. We will try to get an update today to let you know her status. Regrettably, those that saw the little girl were not optimistic.

Please stop to say a prayer for baby Michaelson and her mother right now.

To Rob Phillips and all our friends at CARE: Thank you for your tireless work over the past two weeks helping our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

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ALERT: Dr. Edward Fink Reports From Haiti

This is news from Dr. Edward Fink, one of the Orthopedic Surgeons flown in on Sunday thanks to help from CARE.  
“It has been eight days since the devastation struck this impoverished island nation.  Eight days. And yet people are being delivered to our hospital in record numbers with untreated infected wounds, open fractures, and crippling crush injuries.  As if the injuries had just occurred.  I always ask, through the interpreters, how their injuries occurred, and where they spent the intervening days.  Invariably walls collapsed upon them, sometimes trapping them for days, and once freed, would spend days in their homes or public dwellings, as there was neither transportation nor secondary care once life-saving measures were successful.


And yet, these are the ‘lucky ones.’  Their countenances reflect the quiet solemnity of survival amidst the horrors of destruction.  They come to us, children from ages 2 to 11, elderly women, young men.  Quiet, dignified.  You can see in their eyes that they are thankful, regardless of their injuries.  And many come with extremities having already been amputated.

Our work in the hospital is stratified chaos.  We are continually trying to process and understand the nature of the injuries of the incoming individuals.  Xrays sometimes take over 24 hours to procure.  Triage determines the ability to take the most needy to surgery.  Equipment scarcity and time determine, in part, what we are able to accomplish. Finally, supplies arrived yesterday, and the dire need to innovate is not as acute.  External fixation of all fractures occurs quickly, debridement of wounds with large areas of skin and soft tissue loss, and infections require judgement to determine if the limbs can be saved.

We are absolutely innundated with patients, sent here as we are the largest hospital with functioning facilities in the country.  The people of this city of Milot have rallied to accommodate their bretheren.  The schoolyard across the street has been vacated to house the injured.  I went on rounds late last evening with a Haitian doctor from the hospital, to see our post operative patients and to assess those who had come in throughout the day.  In a room with a blackboard painted on the wall, where once were student desks and chairs, eight thick straw mats provided bedding for the injured.  IV’s were hung where once the hands of inquisitive students assuredly were raised.


My last evaluation of the evening was that of a 42 year old man whose story was all too familiar.  A wall had collapsed on his right leg where he remained trapped for two days.  He had just come to us yesterday afternoon. His leg was twice the size of the other, with blisters, and weeping wounds.  He had no sensation nor movement of his foot, and his leg was quite hard and tense.  It was obvious that he had what we call a compartment syndrome, where intense swelling occurs in a part of the leg. The pressure increases and prevents blood from entering the leg.  Slowly the muscles and nerves die if the pressure cannot be relieved with surgery.  Unfortunately, this did not occur, and his entire lower leg is effectively dead.  He will require an above knee amputation.  With further questioning, I learned that this gentleman is an accountant.

Do you know how difficult it is to achieve an advanced degree in this country, let alone any developing country?  At least, with the tragedy of losing a limb, he will be one of the absolute few who have some hope of overriding the sociocultural and fiscal devastation of an amputation and its subsequent disability.   He prayed that G_d wound protect him.


While writing this at 6am, just felt a 15 second tremor and shaking of the building housing us.  We are 90 miles from the epicenter!  Just heard there was no damage in Port au Prince

All for now.
Edward

PS-  Does anyone know whether rooster is more savory broiled or barbequed?  They leave me with only four hours of sleep each night.

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