Marriott Hotels Green Meetings

Marriott Hotels has launched an innovative opportunity for customers to fight back agains global warming and improve the environment, all in a day’s work. If you book a meeting in a Marriott proberty between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009, the company will contribute a portion of the funds to protect the critically endangered Brazilian Amazonas rainforest.

Greener Meetings

In addition to donating funds, the fine folks at Marriott are also unveiling several new eco-friendly meeting products and services. These new offerings are designed to facilitate saving water and energy, reducing waste and recycling for groups of all sizes. How do they plan on doing this? Hotel meetings rooms will now include recycling bins, use greener products such as pens and notepads made from recycled material, be decorated with organic flowers, tables will be linen free to reduce on washing, name tags will be reusable and leftover food will be donated. Those all sound like steps in the right direction to me!

Scary Statistics

According to the press release, “The average three-day meeting attended by 1,000 people produces more than 12 tons of trash, uses 200,000 kilowatts of power and consumes 100,000 gallons of water.” That’s disgusting!

Rainforest Contributions

For qualified meetings/stays booked during the promotion period, participating hotels in North America will make a cash contribution equal to 5% of the total cost of the group’s guest rooms. Donations will be made in the name of the group as part of Marriott’s ongoing rainforest protection plan. This program will be available for meetings of 10 sleeping rooms or more booked directly with the hotel’s sales associate at JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels and Resorts and Renaissance Hotels and Resorts. All meetings must take place between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011.

Amazonas, Brazil

Marriott signed an agreement with the Brazilian State of Amazonas to commit $2 million to fund an environmental management plan administered by the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation. Under the agreement, the Foundation with the State of Amazonas, will monitor and enforce the protection of the Juma Sustainable Reserve, an area rich in bio diversity. The Amazonas project will support employment, education and healthcare for the reserve’s approximately 500 residents. The Foundation is seeking certification of the conservation project by an independent accredited environmental auditing firm under the internationally recognized Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) standards.

Marriott’s Conservation Plan

Marriott is working with Conservation International, an environmental organization, on a five-point “green” strategy that includes:

1. arbon offsets through the protection of rainforest
2. Further reducing fuel and water consumption by 25 percent per available room over the next 10 years, and installing solar power at up to 40 hotels by 2017
3. Engaging Marriott’s top 40 vendors to supply price-neutral green products across its $10 billion supply chain
4. Empowering development partners to site, design and construct new hotels in line with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards by the end of 2009
5. Educating and inspiring employees and guests to support the environment through their everyday actions at home, while at work and on travel.

Marriott has been hard at work in the area of conservation for quite some time, and is the leader in the large ecofriendly hotel chains in the United States. For more details, visit marriott.com/environment.

As always, check out our sister site EcoTourism Logue for more information on making your travel greener.