Please distribute widely ********* For immediate release starting week of September 15, 2003
Cleaning up the World - Global Hotels See the Big Picture The third week of September marks the Clean up the World initiative which is operated in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). This event corresponds with HEAM Hotel Environmental Action Month whose mission is to illustrate examples of the role played in responsible tourism by hotels around the world, demonstrating practical and innovative action. The primary objective of HEAM is to build awareness of environmental and social issues that face each region and to raise environmental awareness among guests, staff and the public. Clean up the Worlds aim is to address environmental impacts from clean up activities such as tree planting projects to the establishment of recycling centres and waste minimization programmes. Global hotel chains are supporting this initiative through the adoption of various measures. Individual hotel staff and hotel green teams from around the world are showing their commitment to the environment by participating in environmental campaigns and local community initiatives such as cleaning up beaches and reefs, and offering environmental education programs. Some clean up initiatives include: <sum> Jamaica Grande Resort (Marriott) is cleaning up four different sites near their property and treating all those involved to breakfast in their restaurant afterward. <sum> Radisson SAS hotels in Nice, Cannes, Antwerp, Malta, Dresden, Taba, et al, have organized multi city beach and community clean-up campaigns especially to promote HEAM. The clean ups will involve participation from hotel staff, local community members and often local council demonstrating a collaborative initiative which benefits the whole community. <sum> Panamas Marriott Hotel is planting trees in a designated area. The hotel is working with Anam, a Government Environmental Agency which will designate specific areas that will benefit from tree planting. <sum> Bostons Four Seasons Hotel, USA, recycles approximately 2100 lbs of miscellaneous paper per week which equals approximately 18, 400 pounds of recycling per year and contributes to reducing global carbon emissions by saving trees. <sum> Hiltons Nairobi, Kenya will climb and clean. The outing to a local national park by department heads and health club members will go out to pick up litter. Pia Heidenmark, the Responsible Business Director for Rezidor SAS says "HEAM initiatives fit with the purpose of our internal Responsible Business (RB) programme and encourages the hotels to perform their RB activities at the same time, instead as we normally do, on a very local or sometimes regional basis. We hope that by joining HEAM we will increase awareness about our RB programme and our performance internally as well as externally". More information about hotels commitment to the environment will also be released in Octobers issue of greenhotelier, published by IHEI. For more information about HEAM and IHEI and greenhotelier, please contact Rachel Dodds, Environmental Coordinator, IHEI Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7467 3623 Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more information about each hotel contributing initiatives please contact: - Mr. Jan Peter Bergkvist, Director of Environmental Sustainability, (Hiltons Dropping in on our Environment Initiative) Hilton International & Scandic Tel: +46 709 73 59 63 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Ms. Barbara Powell, Director, International Community Relations Marriotts ECHO program, Tel: +44 (0)1580 201 828 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Ms. Pia Heidenmark, Director, Responsible Business Rezidor SAS Hospitality, Tel: + 45 32 34 40 47 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Mr. Even Frydenberg, VP Six Sigma, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Tel: +32 2 224 3501 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ENDS
