WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of its ongoing committment to environmental stewardship, Marriott International has announced that it is on track to meet its goal of a reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly one-fifth over a ten year period from 2000 to 2010.
If the company meets the goal, it would be the equivalent of taking nearly 140,000 cars off the roads, according to EPA estimates. This industry leading effort is part of a comprehensive global campaign to reduce Marriott's environmental footprint and save energy costs.
"Being green is good business," Marriott senior VP Pat Maher said of the goals. "It is important for the environment and saves our hotels money."
In January, the hotel chain announced that it had reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 70,000 tons in one year, in part by making each guest room more energy-efficient, resulting in an emissions drop of about 2 percent.
In April, the company's 2,800 hotels in nearly 70 countries will celebrate Environmental Awareness Month, helping the company promote its eco-friendly practices with a series of projects.
In partnership with
Clean Up the World, a global green volunteer organization, Marriott hotels will join forces on a variety of local clean-up projects including the River Thames in London, the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., San Francisco Bay in California and Taba Heights beach in Egypt. Other improvement projects include parks, beaches and wildlife preservation.
Marriott is also undertaking a global tree-planting project, planting 3,000 trees at hotels around the world as a way to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Estimates suggest that each new tree planted can remove approximately one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
These programs are part of Marriott's long-standing commitment to the environment, which also includes:
- The "Re-Lamp" campaign, which replaced 450,000 light bulbs with fluorescent lighting in 2006 and saved 65 percent on overall lighting costs and energy usage in guest rooms.
- The Linen Reuse Program, a global effort to encourage guests to reuse linens and towels during their hotel stay saved an average of 11 to 17 percent on hot water and sewer costs involved in laundering operations at each hotel.
- Replacement of 4,500 outdoor signs with LED and fiber optic technology, yielding a 40 percent reduction in outdoor advertising energy use in its first year.
- Installation of 400,000 new shower heads which reduce hot water usage by 10 percent each year. Over 60 percent of Marriott hotels worldwide use water-saving toilets.
- Procurement of Energy Star compliant technology including desktops, laptops, printers and scanners. Marriott's Technology Asset Disposal Program has also collected thousands of old computers and cell phones for either re-use or safe disposal.
- The appointment of three Regional Directors of Energy, and three architects certified by the U.S. Green Building Council to help oversee a variety of programs including Marriott's first LEED-certified hotel, The Inn and Conference Center by Marriott at the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Md.
Marriott International is also a sponsor of Green Hotelier magazine and a founding member of the Tourism Partnership, a UK-based global industry group promoting responsible and environmentally conscious tourism. The company has been recognized as the Sustained Excellence Award winner after receiving the Energy Star Partner of the Year for Excellence in Energy Management for the past two years. Additionally, Marriott was awarded more Energy Star labels than any other hotel company and has plans to certify eighty-five additional hotels by the year's end.
GreenerBuildings.com