Marriott International signed an agreement with the state of Amazonas to help protect 500,000 hectares of endangered rainforest. At the same time, the hotel chain ranked in the top 10 of Computerworld magazine's "Top 12 Green IT Companies" list. Marriott, the only company in the hotel sector included, was recognized for energy conservation, information technology (IT) recycling and the reduction of carbon emissions.
the use of server virtualization, resulting in the elimination of 300 servers; the replacement of 5,000 desktop computers, thus reducing power consumption by 50 percent per device; and data archiving, which has led them to reduce energy use by up to 65%.
"We are implementing innovative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle; as well as making sure to implement technology in the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways," said Carl Wilson, executive vice president and chief systems officer, Marriott International.
Marriott's IT department, in collaboration with Secure the Call, a nonprofit, recycles cell phones and PDAs, which are programmed only to dial emergency numbers and distributed in communities. Marriott is also an active member of the Electronic Product Environment Assessment Tool (EPEAT) which is developing a system to help buyers from the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktops, notebooks and monitors according to their environmental attributes.
Marriott's commitment to the environment is more than 20 years old. Areas of focus include: water and energy conservation, air cleaning initiatives, reuse management, waste reduction and reuse, cleansing campaigns and animal life protection. Marriott leads the industry with more than 250 ENERGY STAR certified hotels and received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Sustained Excellence Award for Excellence in Energy Management.
A respite for the jungle
Separately, the Marriott chain and the state of Amazonas signed an agreement to support the first project of its kind to help protect 1.4 million acres of endangered rainforest. This innovative partnership between government and the private sector is one of the first in the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
Marriott has committed $2 million to fund an environmental management plan administered by the newly created Amazon Sustainability Foundation. By the end of this year, Marriott guests as well as group customers will be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by their hotel stays by contributing to this rainforest fund.
Additionally, by offering this carbon offset, Marriott is taking new steps to reduce the company's energy, waste and water consumption, greener its supply chain, build greener hotels and commit guests and employees to take action. "At Marriott we believe the future of business is green," said Arne Sorenson, CFO and co-chair of the company's green council.
"This is the first project to reduce emissions from deforestation in Brazil and one of the first in the world," said Amazonas Governor Eduardo Braga. "This agreement between the Amazon and Marriott will make history because it demonstrates how rainforest preservation can be used as a climate strategy."
Marriott was one of the first hotel companies to create a program to reduce its greenhouse fat emission footprint and its strategy is comprised of five points in collaboration with Conservation International, a global conservation organization.
