SAN FRANCISCO—Honoring its 30-year commitment to environmental responsibility and care, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will celebrate Kimpton EarthCare Week from April 15 to 22, 2011. From pop-up eco art exhibits to organic spa packages and recycling drives, this national celebration builds upon Kimpton’s devotion to environmental responsibility and will inspire guests to give back to local communities when they stay, eat and play with Kimpton. Local community members, hotel guests and restaurant diners can participate in Kimpton EarthCare Week events and offers in 23 cities nationwide. Activity examples include:
• Pop-Up Eco Art Exhibits: Select Kimpton hotels will partner with local artists to create pop-up exhibits in hotel lobbies that feature works of art made from recycled materials. Artists will be on hand at scheduled wine hours during Kimpton EarthCare Week to discuss their work with guests and visitors.
• National Eco Step Challenge: All Kimpton hotels will make available pedometers at the front desk and challenge guests (and their pets) to pound the pavement and rack up steps to win playful prizes at wine hour, daily during Kimpton EarthCare Week.
• Lights Out Power Hours: All Kimpton hotels will host wine hour by candlelight to conserve energy for two hours on Earth Day, April 22.
Farmer’s Market Excursions
• Farmer’s Market Foraging: Select Kimpton Restaurant chefs will offer farmer’s market excursions and cooking demonstrations that celebrate the season’s bounty. Diners can like their favorite Kimpton Restaurants on Facebook for information about upcoming EarthCare Week events.
• Recycle Round-up: To kick off the “Recycle Round-up” and spur participation, Kimpton employees will dress up in cowboy attire and invite the community to lasso up their unwanted computer equipment and bring them to recycle centers at designated Kimpton hotels on April 18 to 20 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Earth Day Fundraising Events: On April 21, many Kimpton hotels in more than 20 cities across the country will host eco-themed events to raise funds for Kimpton’s longtime nonprofit partners, The Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land.
• Organic Restaurant Menus: During Kimpton EarthCare Week, every individual Kimpton restaurant will offer its own special organic menu highlighting local ingredients and flavors.
Engineers, Others to Offer Free Audits
• Community Eco Audit: On April 20, Kimpton engineers and eco champions in every Kimpton city will work with local organizations such as schools, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other youth organizations or community centers to perform an eco audit of the facility and offer tips and recommendations for how to make the facility more environmentally friendly, from recycling to conserving energy.
Additionally, guests can take advantage of unique promotions throughout the entire month of April. One example: Kimpton hotels will offer a 20 percent discount on all in-room spa treatments.
“At Kimpton, every day we devote time and energy to caring for the earth and our local communities,” said Niki Leondakis, president and chief operating officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “This year, we’re pleased to encourage friends, guests and diners to join us for one or more of the many EarthCare Week events and activities taking place in our hotels and restaurants nationwide and help us preserve the future of our planet.”
Green Programs Launched in 1981
Kimpton’s EarthCare initiatives date back to the company’s inception in 1981 and include several industry firsts such as in-room recycling bins and the use of nontoxic cleaners brand-wide. Diners at Kimpton restaurants have access to sustainably produced wine selections on menus, can take advantage of in-house purified water and enjoy sustainable seafood dishes in accordance with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.
In 2010, under the direction of master sommelier Emily Wines, Kimpton introduced a Wines on Tap program at restaurants across the country to provide fresh wine by the glass, strengthen relationships with local vineyards, conserve corks and reduce waste. New initiatives that were recently added to Kimpton’s more than 100 daily environmental practices include converting certain paper products to Fiberstone, a tree-free, water-free, natural paper alternative and converting to printer ink with a 70/80 ratio of bio-renewable content (higher BRC than soy ink).
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