REALTORS® help keep Maui’s beaches clean

It was a quiet day at the eXp Realty office on Friday, April 22. That’s because several of its agents were at the beach. But they weren’t playing hooky: These Realtors spent the day removing trash from Paia’s Stable Road Beach as part of a company-coordinated Earth Day community service event.

eXp Realty Realtor-Broker Emily Fraser came up with the idea for the event back in March. That’s when she visited Stable Road Beach for the first time after some friends suggested she check it out. “They told me how beautiful it was and how my 5-year-old son would enjoy seeing the planes fly right over,” Fraser said. “However, when I arrived, I was disgusted to see so much garbage was around. Walking on the beach wasn’t safe for our family, as there were broken pieces of glass everywhere. I knew then that this beach needs our attention. With Earth Day right around the corner, it was a perfect time to get together, talk about the market and show some love to our beautiful island.”

On Earth Day, Fraser and eXp Realty Realtors Jyoti Young, Gabriella Ramirez, Kim Fish and Michael Fish met at Stable Road Beach, where they armed themselves with heavy-duty contractor bags and set out on a litter-finding mission.

For Young, the day had its share of rewards. “The highlight and most rewarding moment was when I was slowly walking on the beach looking down picking up trash. The air was fresh and there was a steady drizzle. No one else was on the beach. I was feeling blessed to be there in nature,” she recalled. “As I came around a corner and glanced up, there were about five honu resting in the sand. I thought about how this is their home and we are guests here. It felt rewarding to respect and care for them by removing this man made debris littering their home.”

By the end of the day, the group had filled eight bags with trash and picked up a discarded folding chair. Even after spending several hours there, Fraser said, “There is still so much more that can be collected from that beach.”

This was the eXp Realty’s first beach cleanup, but it won’t be the company’s last. “This was our first one and we definitely plan on coordinating more,” Fraser said. “We will be opening it up to anybody who wishes to participate.”

Young encourages other companies to consider hosting their own cleanup on any day of the year. “Beach cleanups are one of the easiest volunteer opportunities to do. Pick a time and a place and bring gloves and bags. You can even bring the children along to help,” she said. “It is a great way to create a positive morale and spirit of cooperation within the company. Every time I attend a volunteer opportunity I feel better about my brokerage and closer to my colleagues. Making positive memories and seeing that together we make a much bigger impact than if I did it with just myself. It’s incredible to see all the bags of trash at the end.”

Fraser agrees wholeheartedly. “We only get one Earth, one ‘aina. We have to do all we can to take care of it,” she said. “That goes beyond just a beach cleanup. We can educate the people around us about our precious wildlife, reducing waste and recycling the right way.”

The Maui News – May 13, 2022