Wyndham Worldwide and Plastic Free Ocean Welcome Tom Jones to New York City

PARSIPPANY, NJ–(Marketwire – August 12, 2010) –  Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, supports a variety of environmentally friendly projects through its Wyndham Green sustainability initiative and is pleased to welcome Tom Jones to New York City as he makes the final stop on his world record, 1,500-mile oceanic journey to benefit the Plastic Free Ocean organization. Jones has dedicated this grueling ultra-endurance event to raising awareness about dangerous and excessive uses of plastics, and the need for funds to clean up the huge amounts of plastic waste accumulating in the world’s oceans and tidal zones. Physiologically, Jones has accomplished the equivalent of running 1½ marathons every day for 92 consecutive days.

To date, the 92-day paddle from Key West to New York City has raised one-third of the $500,000 needed to implement a model program for cleaning up and reprocessing water-borne plastic waste. Government agencies and independent organizations around the world will be able to replicate this practical and cost-effective method that uses new technology to collect and safely reprocess mixed, unsorted plastics.

The Wyndham Green Paddle 2010 fundraising event kicks off at 10:00 a.m. when Jones paddles into Esplanade Plaza in Battery Park escorted to shore by the historic John J. Harvey fireboat, producing a dazzling water display. A celebratory event will follow his landfall featuring green vendors, food, speakers on sustainability from Wyndham Green and GreeNYC, and entertainment by Wade Preston, star of the Broadway smash hit, Movin’ Out.

Jones, who began his journey on May 13, 2010 in Key West, FL, will speak about the rigors and experiences of his record-breaking trip, and his continued quest to rid the ocean of plastic waste. “Of multiple world championships and world records, this has been the most difficult of all, but it has been a labor of love. I am thrilled that I have been able to meet the physical challenges and hope that the public will make the donations required to make the Plastic Free Ocean mission a reality,” said Jones. “From the start I said I would do whatever it takes and this new world record is just the beginning. I will continue doing everything I can to raise awareness and money to fight this threat at every level.”

Research studies confirm that plastics are killing more wildlife and creating more far-reaching human health problems than any other environmental threat. This is one of very few major environmental problems that is 100% caused by human action and that can unquestionably be resolved by human action.

Wyndham Green partnered with Tom Jones and Plastic Free Ocean for this fundraising journey. As part of the partnership, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Wyndham Worldwide’s timeshare unit, hosted landfall events at Wyndham Vacation Resorts Towers on the Grove at North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and at Wyndham Skyline Towers in Atlantic City, NJ, which were two stops on Tom Jones’ 92-day journey. Proceeds from Paddle 2010 will go to the organization to continue its educational activities and fund the creation of its model clean-up program.

“We are excited to celebrate Tom Jones’ great accomplishment,” stated Faith Taylor, vice president of sustainability and innovation for Wyndham Worldwide. “At Wyndham, we understand that our business activities impact the earth and its resources. In line with Tom’s vision, our Wyndham Green program works with our associates, suppliers, owners and communities both locally and globally to minimize waste by properly recycling and reusing materials such as plastic.”

To learn how you can reduce dangerous and excessive uses of plastics, reduce plastic waste in the environment, and help fund the first practical and cost effective program to clean up the world’s oceans and tidal zones, please visit and donate online at www.plasticfreeocean.org.

To find out more about Wyndham Green, please visit www.wyndhamgreen.com. Or follow Wyndham Green on Twitter (@B1withWyndham) and Facebook (B1 with Wyndham).

About Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide offers individual consumers and business-to-business customers a broad suite of hospitality products and services across various accommodation alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of world-renowned brands. Wyndham Hotel Group encompasses approximately 7,160 franchised hotels and approximately 606,800 hotel rooms worldwide. Wyndham Exchange & Rentals offers leisure travelers, including its 3.8 million members, access to over 80,000 vacation properties located in approximately 100 countries. Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its network of over 155 vacation ownership resorts serving over 820,000 owners throughout North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Wyndham Worldwide, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., employs approximately 25,000 employees globally.

For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit the Company’s website at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

About Plastic Free Ocean (www.plasticfreeocean.org):
Plastic Free Ocean is a qualified 501(c)3 public charity which must receive the majority of its funding from personal contributions. The organization does, however, welcome sponsorships from corporations that meet its standards for environmental responsibility and good manufacturing processes, and that actively help to promote the Plastic Free Ocean cause to their customers.

Click here to see all recent news from this company