ADELPHI, MD.—The Marriott Inn & Conference Center at the University of Maryland University College is the first hotel to be listed as a Maryland Green Travel Partner as part of a statewide program aimed at reducing the environmental impact of Maryland’s tourism industry. This designation is due in part to the robust recycling and composting program at the hotel that now in its third year, has significantly decreased the hotel’s waste stream.
Three years after launching a comprehensive “green” program, the Marriott Inn & Conference Center UMUC has reduced the percentage of its solid waste that gets sent to the landfill to less than half. So far this year, the majority of solid waste generated has been either recycled or composted, leaving only 47 percent to be sent to the landfill, compared with 65 percent in 2008. The percentage of solid waste that the hotel recycles has nearly doubled—from 11 percent in 2008 to 21 percent to date in 2010. And now, nearly one-third of solid waste generated is composted, up from one-quarter in 2008 (32 percent versus 24 percent).
Maryland Green Travel is a voluntary program launched in 2009 that reviews, certifies and recognizes tourism businesses committed to improving their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact. Developed through a partnership of the Maryland Office of Tourism, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Tourism Council in support of the Smart, Green and Growing initiative, the program helps businesses evaluate their procedures, set goals and take specific actions toward environmental sustainability.
Example Set for Industry Peers
“The Marriott Inn & Conference Center UMUC sets an outstanding example for its peers in the lodging industry by taking steps to minimize impacts on our state’s natural resources,” said Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Office of Tourism. “Our Maryland Green Travel Partners recognize that green business practices help their own bottom line, which collectively boosts our state economy, and that these practices also enhance the experience of Maryland’s tourists today and for years to come.”
“Our recycling and composting statistics speak for themselves,” says Michael McCarthy, general manager at the Marriott Inn & Conference Center UMUC. “Because of our continued effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we improve our results each year and go beyond what most other hotels are doing, including the cleaning chemicals we use, the materials in our building, and the use of organic and recyclable items in our restaurant. We’ve found that our associates, guests and conference patrons not only appreciate our efforts, they go the extra mile to do their part to protect the environment during their stay with us by participating with us.”
Among the hotel’s other green accomplishments, it was the first in the country to receive LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel was engineered using “green” materials and every area in the hotel, from the meeting facilities to the guestrooms, uses recyclable materials and energy-saving systems to ensure a positive role on the environment.
Go to the Marriott Inn & Conference Center UMUC.
