WASHINGTON, D.C.—In April, all 2,800 hotels in nearly 70 countries will help Marriott International Inc. celebrate Environmental Awareness Month, marking the company’s biggest effort to promote eco-friendly practices on the road, at work, at home and in the community. The month-long drive enlists Marriott customers, associates and business partners in a variety of projects to save, recycle and reuse, including:
Clean Up the World—In partnership with Clean Up the World, a global green volunteer organization, Marriott hotels will join forces on a variety of local cleanup 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. For information on Clean Up the World, visit www.cleanuptheworld.org.
True Green—Marriott will promote a new book by Clean Up the World’s co-founder, Kim McKay, and Director, Jenny Bonnin. It features 100 everyday ways to contribute to a healthier planet. On Earth Day, April 22, Marriott will offer its guests a free bookmark listing eco-friendly travel tips.
Global Tree Planting—Associates will plant 3,000 trees at hotels around the world, including 80 trees at Marriott’s headquarters in celebration of the company’s 80th anniversary. Tree planting is a key way to offset carbon emissions. One tree can remove approximately one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Green Products Fair—Marriott leverages partnerships with global suppliers to promote development and use of green products in the lodging industry. The company will sponsor a Green Fair for associates on April 20 at Marriott’s headquarters with companies such as Ecolab, TruGreen Landscaping and Starbucks.
Recycling—Marriott will launch a pilot program at 30 hotels to measure, standardize and expand recycling companywide. Currently, more than 96 percent of Marriott hotels around the world actively recycle. In 2006, Marriott headquarters recycled more than half of its solid waste.
Eco Awareness—Throughout April, Marriott customers will have the opportunity to win the ultimate “Eco-cation” to Costa Rica. Customers will have a chance to enter a video to showcase how they are cleaning up the world and learn more about Marriott’s environmental programs via a YouTube video. Information on Marriott’s recognition of Environmental Awareness Month will also be available at www.marriott.com and Bill Marriott’s blog.
Marriott’s Long-Standing Commitment
Marriott has been committed to the environment for 20 years and is substantially reducing greenhouse gases and improving the environment. Programs making a difference include:
• 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 guestrooms.
• 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.
• Marriott’s smoke-free policy in all U.S. and Canadian hotels announced last year improves indoor air quality and will result in a 30 percent reduction in energy use for air treatment systems.
• Marriott’s “Ozone Activated Laundry” and “Formula One Systems” can save up to 25 percent in energy used in laundry systems.
• 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 showerheads that 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 reuse or safe disposal.
• Marriott appointed three Regional Directors of Energy, and three architects certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) 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.
• Designation of an executive-level Green Council led by Arne Sorenson, Executive Vice President, CFO and President, Continental European Lodging, Marriott International; Ed Fuller, President and Managing Director, Marriott International Lodging International; and Kathleen Matthews, Executive Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs, Marriott International.
• Each hotel throughout the Marriott system has a designated Energy and Environmental Ambassador who helps the property maintain standards and finds new ways to improve the environment.
• Launched Marriott Environmentally Conscious Hospitality Operations (ECHO) in 1994—an award-winning program that focuses on water and energy conservation, clean air, “reduce-reuse-recycle” waste management, wildlife preservation and neighborhood cleanups.
• Marriott International is also a sponsor of Green Hotelier magazine and a founding member of the Tourism Partnership, a U.K.-based global industry group promoting responsible and environmentally conscious tourism.
• Marriott International 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 (160) than any other hotel company and has plans to certify 85 additional hotels by year-end.
For more news about Marriott’s ongoing commitment to conserve and preserve, visit the Environmental Stewardship page at www.marriott.com.
