This year Bayer Hawaii employees celebrated Earth Day by volunteering and taking steps to clean and preserve the communities where we live and work.

More than180 employee volunteers from our teams assembled on Maui, Molokai and Oahu where Bayer has adopted several stretches of highway. Together they combed the roadsides collecting litter for proper disposal.

We collected, bagged and ultimately removed 426 bags of waste. This not only beautifies our roadways but prevents that litter from making its way to the ocean.

According to Honolulu.gov, 80% of ocean trash comes from land, and two-thirds of the world’s fish are harmed by plastic. Some of the most common types of litter, food containers and plastic bottles, are estimated to take more than 400 years to decompose. Every little step we take to keep trash out of our oceans adds up and can make a big impact.

Elsewhere on Oahu, members of the Bayer Asia Society Inclusion Alliance (BASIA) met at our Kunia farm to work on planting native species. One of BASIA’s objectives is to support and enhance Bayer’s community engagement, which is does in part through efforts like this one.

The team spent a week preparing the land, including weeding, removing dead plants, adding new soil and setting up a drip irrigation system.

Once the space was prepared, the volunteers planted more than 150 native species plants including Plumbago, Hibiscus, Ti leaf, Brazilian Red Cloak, Dianella, Agave, Pink Trumpet, Bougainvillea, Pink Eldorado, and many more.

The native species plants were chosen intentionally and thoughtfully. Not only are they a beautiful and calming sight, but they have symbiotic relationships with native wildlife and are the most sustainable option when choosing flowers and plants for landscaping.

The result is a lush and beautiful scene that will support the ecosystems of the land for many years to come. Jean Ernst the team lead of this project, described the refreshed plant life as being “sort of like a new beginning as we go back to ‘normal.’

“I listened to the crews' feedback of wanting to see colors, flowers,” Ernst added. “And ever since we have planted these plants, every morning I get positive compliments. They love seeing life.” 

To learn more about Bayer’s sustainability efforts, please visit https://www.bayer.com/en/us/hawaii-sustainability.