BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. ranked among the top 10 on Computerworld magazine’s first-ever “Top 12 Green IT Companies” list. Marriott, the only hospitality company named, was recognized for IT energy conservation, IT recycling and reduction of carbon emissions. Marriott’s IT environmental achievements include:
• Establishing Energy Star compliance standards for all IT assets;
• Eliminating 25.6 tons of CO2 output annually by replacing printers;
• Reducing IT energy consumption by utilizing server virtualization, resulting in the elimination of 300 servers;
• Replacing 5,000 desktop PCs with thin client computers, reducing energy consumption by 50 percent per device; and
• Archiving data, resulting in 65 percent reduction in power usage.
“We are implementing innovative ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle; as well as ensuring we implement technology in the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly ways,” says Carl Wilson, executive vice president and chief information officer, Marriott International.
Working with Secure the Call, a not-for-profit organization, Marriott’s IT department actively recycles cell phones and PDAs, which are then repurposed for 911/emergency-only use by the community. Marriott is also an active member of Electronic Product Environment Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which is developing a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes.
Marriott’s commitment to the environment spans more than 20 years. Focus areas include: water and energy conservation, clean air initiatives, reduce-reuse-recycle waste management, cleanup campaigns, and wildlife preservation. Marriott leads the industry with more than 250 Energy Star hotels and received the Sustained Excellence Award for excellence in energy management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, visit www.marriott.com/environment.
