Stewardship at Work: Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort Debuts New Beach Cleanup Technology  

Photo Credit: Katy Jo Caringer, Tahoe Beach Club, NV – 2024

Lake Tahoe is not just a beautiful and stunning natural wonder, it’s our home. It is also a world-renowned, all-season destination where millions of visitors come each year to experience a beautiful and diverse alpine haven. Yet, beyond this breath-taking backdrop lies a vital and diverse ecosystem requiring vigilant stewardship by all.

Beach Trash and Debris: An Enviornmental Challenge

It’s a fact: beach tourism, debris and runoff leave behind thousands of pounds of trash and pollutants each year. Even the best efforts at traditional beach cleanup struggle to manage this pervasive issue: hidden litter buried beneath our beautiful sandy shores. 

Much of the trash and debris include plastics, which break down into smaller pieces over time—eventually becoming micro-plastics that make their way into our beautiful clear waters. Once these particles contaminate our lakes, rivers and streams, they can pose significant threats to our fragile ecosystem. 

Revolutionizing Lake Tahoe’s Environmental Health

Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort, one of the only family-owned and operated Lake Tahoe hotels in North Lake Tahoe, recognizes the urgency of combating beach and lake pollution through innovative litter mitigation strategies. While continually fostering a culture of environmental consciousness among its guests and the local community, Mourelatos is deeply committed to environmental stewardship, understanding that the well-being of Lake Tahoe is a collective responsibility between tourism, community, local organizations and innovative companies. 

In collaboration with the North Tahoe Community Alliance (NCTA) and the League to Save Lake Tahoe (KEEP TAHOE BLUE), Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort will be the first to debut a new vision of enviornmental stewardship: the ECO CLEAN Solutions’s BEBOT. 

What’s a BEBOT?

Well, it’s a robot. An eco-friendly, non-invasive and automated beach cleaner! Dedicated to substantially cleaning our beaches and shores, it will be leading the charge this summer in North Lake Tahoe.  

Designed to mechanically and arduously sift through sand, it screens and rakes reaching depths of up to 4 inches, un-earthing and carrying away mounds and heaps of hidden litter. BEBOT should prove its efficiently at capturing debris as small as even 1 centimeter. While protecting plant and animal life, it quietly runs 100% electric and emits no harmful gases. Now, that’s impressive!

Anticipated Impact

Already deployed in other parts of the country including Florida, recent observation of human vs. machine, BEBOT won hands-down in beach clean up. Its efficiency captured 300 pieces of trash compared to 30 pieces retrieved by human volunteers. While volunteer-powered beach cleanup as well individual responsibility remain paramount, combating litter and micro-plastics require special technology to filter beneath the sand. 

Showing-off its formidable strengths, the BEBOT will first appear on the shores of Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort. It will also be found preening its way through Kings Beach, Moon Dunes, and Commons in Tahoe City—where guests and community can all witness the BEBOT’s effectiveness—all with minimal impact on beach activities. 

Proudly funded by ‘TOT-TBID Dollars at Work’ through its partners at the North Tahoe Community Alliance, BEBOT will become a summer regular with expanded deployment—a long-term commitment to making a difference on behalf of our residents, businesses and visitors. These actionable steps are part of the ethos of North Lake Tahoe—protecting our natural beauty and communities, while fostering a thriving economy.

“By encouraging guests to play an active role and deploying eco-friendly practices such as the BEBOT, Mourelatos continues to cultivate a culture of environmental stewardship that extends well-beyond its resort borders”, said Alex Mourelatos, General Manager of Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort. “Leading by example, we continuously make efforts to minimize our environmental footprint through partnering and collaborating with local conservation organizations, community and industry.”

Join us for the BEBOT’s debut at MLRTahoe, on June 19th! If you are interested in watching our fascinating BEBOT at work, MLRTahoe is offering a 50% discount on room rates Tuesday, June 18th and Wednesday, June 19th. Just call our front desk and ask for the ‘BEBOT Special“.

Find out more about the BEBOT project and the projects supported by TOT-TBID at www.northtahoecommunityalliance.com.

STEWARDSHIP + TECHNOLOGY + INNOVATION