A group of three Marriott properties in Wailea has been honored with the Nō Ka ʻOi Highway Hui Adopt-A-Highway Award by the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, Highways Maui District. This award recognizes their joint efforts in community care.
The Wailea Beach Resort, Residence Inn, and AC Hotel in Wailea have collaborated for several years to maintain a section of Pi‘ilani Highway between mileposts 5.5 and 7.5. They organize quarterly cleanup events and coordinate with team members across their properties. Since 2018, employees from these hotels have dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to Maui’s Adopt-A-Highway program, collectively removing over 450 bags of trash.
“We really appreciate being recognized for our efforts – we all live here, this is our ʻāina, so we all want to take care of it,” said Nani Kaina, director of services at Wailea Beach Resort.
“We show up each quarter to the highway clean up, not just to check the box and say we do community service and fulfill Marriott’s serve 360 goal, but because we care about our community and we want others to see we care,” added Donjon Baclig, dual chief engineer at AC Hotel and Residence Inn. “We want to keep the highways clean so our visitors see that we care about our environment and that they should too.”
Ty Fukuroku, program manager of Environmental Management at Highways Maui District, acknowledged the challenges of maintaining Pi‘ilani Highway due to varying wind, weather conditions, and traffic patterns. He expressed gratitude for the Marriott hotels’ ongoing volunteerism and support, noting their positive impact on protecting the island environment.
Adopt-A-Highway is a public service program that engages volunteers to remove trash from Hawaiʻi’s state highways, helping to prevent litter and pollutants from reaching the ocean and other bodies of water. Volunteer groups commit to adopting a two-mile segment of a state highway for at least two years, conduct litter pickups at least four times per year, and undergo safety training before each cleanup event.
Organizations in Maui County interested in joining the Adopt-A-Highway program can find available highway segments on the Highways Maui District’s stormwater website, www.stormwatermaui.com. The website also provides applications, cleanup forms, a safety training video, and program information. Adopt-A-Highway groups receive support from Highways Maui District, including cleanup supplies, safety training, and recognition with the group’s name on a highway sign.
Source: mauinow.com