Honda Blue Goes Green as Helpful Teams Celebrate Earth Month With Heal the Bay

LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As Winter turns to Spring and more people are enjoying the outdoors, SoCal Honda and Heal the Bay are once again teaming up to make sure Los Angeles-area coastal areas and watersheds are safe, healthy and clean. Last year, a record number of volunteers, including the Helpful Guys in Blue, collected more than 100,000 pounds of ocean-bound trash from local watersheds as part of Heal the Bay's annual Coastal Cleanup Day in Los Angeles.

As an unofficial kickoff to a month of environmental efforts, the Guys in Blue will be helping to lead community volunteer efforts during Keep Los Angeles Beautiful's 5th Annual Great American Clean Up on Friday, March 18th, which will also feature an appearance by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  Throughout the month of April, the Helpful teams will be cleaning up local beaches for the Nothin' But Sand events on Saturday, April 16th, and distributing reusable and environmentally friendly water bottles as a reminder of sustainable living. They will also lend a helping hand during Earth Month Celebration at the Santa Monica Aquarium April 16-17.

Adding a new twist to volunteer efforts in the Los Angeles area and promoting local pride, the Helpful teams and Heal the Bay will conclude Earth Month with the Urban River Challenge on Saturday, April 30th, where residents of Los Angeles will challenge Chicago to determine which city can get the most volunteers out to help clean up their respective hometown rivers. This event also coincides with the annual Mayor's Day of Service, which calls on volunteers to help improve various communities around LA.

"We're committed to being helpful in the community, and what better place than on our local beaches and rivers," said Jeff Robinson, President of the Southern California Honda Dealers Association. "That's why the SoCal Honda Dealers will be working closely with Heal the Bay at a number of events throughout the month of April. We encourage all SoCal residents to join us on April 30th and show the country that LA's residents are active champions of the city's environmental efforts."

"We're very grateful to SoCal Honda and their involvement in our Earth Day efforts for the second year in a row," said Mark Gold, President, Heal the Bay. "Honda has always shown a dedication to the environment with its fuel-efficient vehicles. We're excited that SoCal Dealers are continuing their commitment to making a difference, both on and off the road."

For every bottle distributed at the Earth Month events, recipients can register online at www.socalhonda.com and the SoCal Honda Dealers will make a donation to Heal the Bay on their behalf.

The Helpful teams will be updating their Twitter (@HelpfulHonda) and Facebook page regularly to encourage SoCal volunteers' participation, provide event details, environmental tips and photos. In addition, Heal the Bay will be hosting social media competitions on Twitter(@healthebay)and Facebook, where followers can answer environmental questions for items such as reusable water bottles and t-shirts.

The 2011 Earth Month events continue Honda Helpful's yearlong efforts around SoCal, including providing assistance at homeless shelters with warm meals and care packages, sending Helpful tanker trucks to surprise motorists with complimentary gas, distributing water and handiwipes at local parks, providing umbrella escorts during rainy days and carrying groceries and supplies for shoppers.

For more information on SoCal Honda and the Helpful teams, please visit www.socalhonda.com, our Facebook and Twitter pages.  Heal the Bay information can be found at www.healthebay.org.

About Honda Helpful

Launched in January 2007, Honda Helpful is an inspiring multi-layered program representing over 57 dealers from various cities across Southern California.  A collaborative effort between the Southern California Honda Dealers Association and creative agency, Secret Weapon Marketing, Honda Helpful serves to create a unified voice through an evergreen message: Helpful.  Since its inception, the program has demonstrated its message in various ways, such as: providing assistance at homeless shelters with warm meals and care packages; sending Helpful tanker trucks to surprise motorists with complimentary gas; distributing reusable shopping bags at local farmers markets; scheduling umbrella escorts during rainy days; and visiting hardware stores and supermarkets to carry groceries and supplies for shoppers.  For more information, visit www.socalhonda.com.

About Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. They use science, education, community action and advocacy to pursue our mission.

SOURCE SoCal Honda