Marriott Hotels and Resorts

As the world moves towards greener living across the board, from eco-friendly construction to organic farming and beyond, the tourism industry evolves to become greener, too. One of the biggest areas in the travel industry that is making big strides in greener living is the hospitality industry. Many hotel chains big and small around the world have been and continue to make important changes in practice and policy – and Marriott is among the forefront of green hotels.

They’ve got a major sustainability strategy in place that dictates their green plans for the next several years, outlining specific, achievable goals that they plan to reach by 2030. Marriott has outlined a number of goals that approach sustainable development aims across the board, too, including goals that work to “end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change” as defined by the UN.

They also endeavor to integrate sustainable design and eco-friendly elements into as many of their individual properties as possible, with over 140 LEED-certified hotels built and being built around the world and extra perks like 275+ electric car charging stations across the company. An impressive 1,800+ Marriott hotels have also earned the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders badge, which puts them in pretty elite company. It’s evident that they’re committed to greening their organization in every way possible.

Here are a few of the key categories in which Marriott is working to be green:

Energy: They’ve reduced their energy usage by 13.2% since 2007, and are continuing to work for lower energy consumption. Factors like the installation of energy efficient appliances make a difference, as do systems where unoccupied guest rooms consume less energy by “shutting down.” They aim to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020.

Water: Marriott hotels have also reduced their water consumption by 10.4% since 2007 through water-conserving measures across the board like installing low-flow faucets and toilets, and using more efficient washing machines, plus doing less laundry overall. The goal is reduce water usage by 20% by 2020.

Emissions: Through researching ways for cleaner energy and working to decrease their overall carbon footprint, Marriott has lowered their greenhouse gas emissions by 13.2% since 2007.

Conservation: Another big part of Marriott’s efforts to help the environment, they invest in conservation around the world with programs that protect the world’s natural resources, including rainforest and water. They’ve spent the last eight years protecting the Amazon rainforest in particular.