CVS team up with Ocean Conservancy to clean up shoreline

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS employees cleaned up nearly 25,000 pounds of trash from shorelines across the country in partnership with Ocean Conservancy, a leading organization that educates and empowers citizens to take action on behalf of the ocean.

The CVS Caremark Shoreline Cleanup, a national environmental employee engagement campaign, raises awareness of the connection between clean waterways and health.

The CVS Caremark Shoreline Cleanup, part of the company's commitment to local communities, hosted five volunteer events nationwide in 2013:

• Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Fla.

• Elm Fork Trinity River in Dallas, Texas

• Montrose Beach in Chicago, Ill.

• Emerald Hills in San Diego, Calif.

• Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I.

Some of the trash CVS employees collected included sofas, tractor tires, car parts, sinks, shopping carts, mattresses, television sets and computer monitors.

"The CVS Caremark Shoreline Cleanups provided colleagues an engaging, rewarding volunteer experience, while at the same time making a real difference in our local communities," said Eileen Howard Boone SVP of corporate communications and community relations, CVS Caremark. "Like many of our CSR initiatives, this program closely aligns with our purpose of helping people on their path to better health — with the help of Ocean Conservancy, we were able to raise awareness of how clean waterways directly impact our health & well-being."

"Trash jeopardizes the health of the ocean, coastline, economy and people and requires a collective movement to make the biggest difference," said Amelia Montjoy, VP of resource development at Ocean Conservancy. "We have a profound stake in a healthy ocean that is free of trash and marine debris, and through our partnership with CVS Caremark, we are one step closer to fulfilling this mission."

Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is the largest volunteer effort for the ocean, bringing out hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world to remove millions of pounds of trash and debris from beaches, lakes and waterways. Last year, volunteers collected more than 10 million pounds of trash, marking the second highest total items reported in the cleanup's 27-year history. Cigarettes, food packaging and plastic bottles top the list of collected trash, totaling the weight of 10 Boeing 747 jumbo jets.