Marriott launches water conservation project
Marriott International will invest US$500,000 in seed money over the next two years to support a conservation programme that helps protect the largest source of fresh water on the planet, located in the mountains of Southwest China.
The programme will focus its work in Sichuan Province, the area hit hard by the 2008 earthquake.
Concurrently, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels throughout China have committed to reducing their water and energy use by 25 percent by 2017.
The programme, called the “Nobility of Nature,†is designed to assist rural communities in Sichuan Province with sustainable businesses, such as mushroom farming and honey production, which will place less stress on the environment.
Reducing erosion and sedimentation will also improve water quality downstream in both rural and urban areas.
Marriott International associates and the owners of its hotels in China raised more than US$3 million to help provide disaster relief to victims of the May 2008 earthquake which took the lives of nearly 70,000 people.
Said J.W. Marriott Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, “There’s a Chinese proverb, ‘when drinking the water, consider the source’.
“Water is the key to prosperity and sustained economic growth. Helping to develop viable ways to preserve the water supply and conserve water in our hotels is important to our business, our associates and our customers,†he said.
Marriott expects to operate 60 hotels in China by the end of this year, making China the company’s most important market outside of North America.
Ian Jarrett
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