WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — And the Sweepstakes Trophy goes to…DOLE's "Preserving Paradise" float in the 2012 Rose Parade, making DOLE the first entry in the last 20 years to win in its first two years participating.
DOLE's award-winning float "Preserving Paradise" honored the unsurpassed beauty of Thailand where DOLE grows some of its fruit with responsible and sustainable growing and operating practices.
The float featured a temple styled after Thailand's opulent royal palace and captured Thailand's ornate and unique architecture. A life-like elephant draped in floral jewels and tapestries, a sculpted tiger and two leopards all joined to witness Thailand's ongoing preservation of wildlife conservation. To celebrate the diversity of Thailand, 20 Thai dancers dressed in traditional Thai costumes performed amongst the exotic and rare flowers from across the world and, of course, fresh and healthy fruit grown by DOLE just for the Rose Parade.
Created by Fiesta Parade Floats, "Preserving Paradise" stood 55 feet long, 18 feet wide and over 26 feet tall and weighed in at just over 22 tons, which is the equivalent of more than 10 elephants.
In a floral salute, the "Preserving Paradise" float heralded DOLE's position as an industry leader in protecting the environment across four main pillars of sustainability: water management, soil conservation, reducing its carbon footprint and reusing and recycling packaging.
ABOUT DOLE FOOD COMPANY
DOLE is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas and producer/shipper of organic pineapples. DOLE markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com . For more information on DOLE's sustainability initiatives, please visit www.dolesustainability.com .
Source: DOLE Food Company, Inc.
