WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marriott International Inc. has been named an Energy Star Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for implementing programs that save more than 83 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electric energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68,000 tons annually. Marriott is the only lodging company to be recognized and the only company to receive the EPA’s highest honor for two consecutive years.
“As an Energy Star partner, Marriott has distinguished itself by demanding superior energy performance in their business and by generating real results,” says Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division. “Through Energy Star, these Partners of the Year are leading a nationwide effort to protect our environment through improved energy efficiency.”
This past year, Marriott implemented three new initiatives. They include the Marriott Retro-Commissioning Program, a comprehensive evaluation and planning process to aid existing hotels in becoming as energy efficient as possible; the EPA’s Climate Leaders program, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent per available room by 2010; and a Group Re-Lamp campaign to replace current light fixtures with energy-saving fluorescent lighting every two years.
“At Marriott, energy conservation is a priority,” says Pat Maher, senior vice president of engineering. “We are constantly looking for ways to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases. We understand that as a company, it makes good environmental and business sense, and as an Energy Star partner, we challenge ourselves to raise the bar each year.”
Almost All Marriotts Participate
Today, 90 percent of Marriott hotels have undergone energy efficiency improvements, such as lighting replacements that conserve energy usage by more than 30 percent, electronic thermostats, new brand signs with LED technology, laundry ozone systems, and central plant upgrades and recommissioning. These efforts have helped the company earn the Energy Star rating for 163 of its top-performing hotels.
Marriott, an Energy Star partner since 2001, has embarked on an ambitious, companywide mission to improve the environment and control costs in partnership with its hotel owners and franchisees. As part of the program, all hotels receive the company’s Energy Conservation Program Resource Guide, and all hotel engineers and general managers have completed the company’s Energy Conservation Program training.
Additionally, Marriott has designated a “champion” at each hotel to promote and implement best practices and procedures identified through internal benchmarking. Hotels that meet criteria and demonstrate ongoing achievement are recognized annually with an ECHO (Environmentally Conscious Hotel Operations) award. Marriott’s ECHO program offers guidance to hotels worldwide in five key areas: water and energy conservation, respecting and preserving wildlife, clean air initiatives, waste management, and clean-up campaigns.
The Partner of the Year Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate energy efficiency into overall organizational strategy. The award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the Energy Star program.
For more information on Energy Star, go to www.energystar.gov. For more information on Marriott, go to www.marriott.com.
