Oakland Corporate Helps Keep the Coast Clear

Oakland Corporate Helps Keep the Coast Clear

Group picture of Coastal Cleanup volunteers with the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in the background
Coastal Cleanup volunteers at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline
2022 Q4
Young girl holds a piece of trash in her gloved hand
Eowyn Chinchilla, granddaughter of Rick Lindholm, director, operations finance & administration (background) doing her part to help the environment.

Our first post-pandemic in-person Coastal Cleanup in Oakland took place on September 17, and we were gifted with perfect weather! Dodging a recent heat wave, we had an ideal day, crisp and sunny. Volunteers, many of whom are the same familiar smiling faces we see year after year, relished being able to (finally!) participate in person after two years of remote community cleanup efforts. Throughout the pandemic, Matson’s Oakland Corporate office opted for online cleanup events, allowing people to participate independently and submit photos of their efforts.

Employee and his nephew put trash into bags at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline
Byron Low, Matson Logistics Warehousing facilities manager, and his nephew, Julian Tostado-Cooper.

For many years, Matson has partnered with the Port of Oakland and East Bay Parks and Recreation to share the same cleanup sites. However, 2022 was the first year that East Bay Municipal Utility District also joined us at our site in Oakland, a segment of the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline. Sharing the same location allows for shared resources (i.e., Park Rangers who give safety talks and needed supplies like reusable buckets and gloves). Additionally, a larger group of volunteers from the combined organizations brings great energy to the pickup efforts. With more than 200 volunteers at our site alone, some might say it was quite the party! Overall, the MLK Shoreline had more than 300 volunteers who picked up 5,000 lbs. of litter–an amazing accomplishment to achieve before noon!

Mother and son put trash into bags for the Coastal Cleanup
Coastal Cleanup is a family affair. Rich Kinney, senior vice president, network operations, and his mother Pat Kinney, working hard for Mother Earth.

An advantage of returning to the same cleanup site with the same partners is that this event only gets better and better each year. This year we had a surprise visit from Oakland’s Mayor, Libby Schaff, who thanked all the volunteers and shared that she often visits this park for walks.

A volunteer kneels with her bucket of trash and trash grabber.
Elena Kong, senior treasury manager represents the Oakland Corporate office at the Coastal cleanup.

The event went so well this year that we’re considering adding a second cleanup to the calendar in 2023. Stay tuned for those details, and a huge thank you to all the volunteers who joined us this year!