Kino Bay is a beautiful place that, luckily for Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Plant workers, is located just an hour away from the city where the Ford Maverick and Bronco Sport are produced. . Surrounded by miles of desert, Kino Bay is a natural jewel that has been the main source of income for fishermen, artisans and farmers in the area. Tourism is also important to the local economy. Unfortunately, visitors to Kino Bay have caused both visual and ecological damage to the beach, since tourists do not always abide all the rules. During vacation periods or on weekends large amounts of garbage accumulate and wind up in the ocean contaminating it, taking away the beauty that has distinguished this bay for so long. Ford team member Fernando Ulloa became aware of this great damage been done to the Kino Bay during a visit with his family, so, he decided to talk with his colleagues from New Models Programs to carry out an urgent cleanup initiative for the area. "I couldn't believe what I saw, the amount of garbage was ridiculous, I took photos to show everyone the deplorable state of the Kino Bay. I spoke with 13 colleagues, and we investigated how to do a cleanse of the area", said Fernando.

"The first thing we discovered is that the best way to collect all the waste was not with trash bags as you might think, but with the ones where most of the fruits are transported, which have holes small enough for the sand to come out without the garbage being able to slip through, this is a way to prevent the bag from becoming heavy due to the sand that the cans or other bags carry," he added. Then, Fernando told us that in the surroundings of Kino Bay there are containers placed by local groups that oversee the cleaning of the area and in which the collected material can be dumped, thus, avoiding the transportation of the bags back to Hermosillo. On their first visit, the NMP team managed to fill 3 of these 7 containers by covering 2.5 kilometers of beach and collecting the equivalent to almost half a ton of garbage. This has not only brought a benefit to the Kino Bay community, but also gave the NMP department an opportunity to approach and develop as a team by allowing them to enjoy a healthy interaction by taking care of the landmarks for the future generations in their region to enjoy.

"It is rather comforting to change a day of work for a good deed worth the doing", commented Fernando, who following this event explains that he experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, from nervousness for not knowing what they were going to find when they arrived at the beach to satisfaction, happiness and pride of everything they achieved by the end of the day. Now, the team is planning a second visit to the bay during the month of September when the weather cools, so they can be enjoy the beach in a healthy, safe way as they clean it up.

The team are calling their fellow coworkers to action to help them to cover a bigger area and achieve a greater stewardship for this natural jewel. By setting this example, the team hopes to raise awareness and inspire more people to participate in keeping Kino Bay clean. Ford of México's commitment is tangible for its talent and great vehicles; however, it also has remarkable employees that pursue the change and make it a reality.