Marriott adopts 'environmentally responsible' operations

MANILA, Philippines - As part of its effort to encourage environmentally responsible business operations, to raise awareness of environmental issues and to involve associates in “green” efforts, Marriott Hotel Manila will participate in the observance of Earth Hour.

Apart from switching off unnecessary lights, the hotel will also encourage guests to turn off room lights for 60 minutes starting from 8.30 tonight.

Reflecting the mood of the Earth Hour, the hotel’s two restaurants; Marriott Café and Cru Steakhouse will have a special candle light theme dinner for the enthusiastic diners while The Lounge will have a special wine and cheese night with unplugged entertainment.

Associates (staff) of the property were encouraged also to do the same in their accommodation with their friends and families. They were enthusiastic to switch off unnecessary equipments and to reduce the consumption of water, electricity, fuels and gas.

General manager Richard Saul said: “We were very excited to participate in this global call. Through this campaign, we would like to show our commitment to make the world a better place for us and our future generations, raise awareness of environmental issues, and involve our guests and associates in green activities.”

“This is a starting point to link it with the Earth Day on 22nd April 2011 as Marriott International recognizes April as a dedicated “Environmental Awareness Month” where we’ll have various eco-friendly activities, such as tree-planting, nearby community clean up, daily energy saving practices, and much more,” he added.

Chief engineer Mark Creencia said his team has been doing ecological programs such as recycling used oil, concentrating on repairing leaks and damaged water lines, replacing all normal lamps with energy saving lamps.

“By using these energy saving lamps, now we can save more than a thousand kilowatts a day. But it’s not a matter of how much dollars we save, it’s a matter of what we can do to make the earth a comfortable place to live for our next generation,” explained Creencia.