Amgen staff from points all around North America—as far north as Burnaby, British Columbia and as far south as Puerto Rico—rid the environment of more than two metric tons of trash as part of the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). The debris, plucked from the shores of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Puget Sound, and several inland waterways, is the largest amount Amgen staff have collected in four years of involvement with the ICC.

Gallery: Witness Amgen staff in California, Canada, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Washington rid shorelines of two metric tons of the kinds of debris that can threaten marine life and water quality.

“We’re proud to participate as a global company in this international cleanup and research event that supports Amgen’s social commitment to enhance the communities in which we operate,” said David Harrison, executive director, Environment, Health and Safety. “We were founded not far from the coast in Thousand Oaks, California and we’ve grown to include many sites around the world located near coastlines and important waterways.”

The ICC, which just marked its 26th anniversary, is the largest event in the world that promotes healthy oceans. Approximately 9 million volunteers from 152 countries collectively pick up, document, weigh, and properly dispose of around 145 million pounds of trash through this event. In its quest for trash free seas, Ocean Conservancy, which sponsors the ICC, uses this data to understand where the trash originates and how it might be prevented in the first place.

Amgen staff member and lead event organizer, Tanya Nunez, has been with Amgen’s Coastal Cleanup efforts from the beginning. “Helping to organize an event that offers our staff and their families the power to ‘think globally and act locally’ in their communities is a great feeling,” said Nunez. “We can see proof that individual small actions do make a difference.”

Learn more about Amgen's commitment to environmental sustainability at environment.amgen.com.