Friday, 11 April 2008: Marriot International, Inc. and the Brazilian state of Amazonas signed an agreement today in an environmental initiative that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
The initiative will involve $2 million from Marriott to fund an environmental management plan administered by the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, and will also allow customers to offset their carbon footprint and contribute to the fund.
“With thousands of hotels around the world, Marriott has the scale to make a strong positive contribution to the environment,” says Glenn Prickett, senior vice president of the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, Conservation International.
“By reducing its own environmental footprint and protecting forests, Marriott is addressing the major drivers of climate change – energy use and deforestation - while also delivering compelling environmental and sustainable development benefits.”
Amazonas Governor Eduardo Braga said: “This is the first project on reducing emissions from deforestation in Brazil and one of the first in the world.”
“This agreement between the government of Amazonas and Marriott will make history because it demonstrates how rainforest preservation can be used as a climate strategy.”
Marriott has also developed a five-point strategy with Conservation International to help reduce its environmental footprint, which has been calculated at 2.9 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
The strategy includes the initiative mentioned above, reducing fuel and water consumption, constructing buildings that are more environmentally-friendly, educating employees to support the environment and asking suppliers to provide greener products, such as pens made from pre-consumer recycled plastic.
“We are all guests on this planet, and that’s why an integrated green strategy is a business imperative,” says Kathleen Matthews, co-chair of Marriott’s Green Council.
