Marriott International is doing more than building hotels in China. The hotel company, which currently operates 45 hotels in China under the JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott Executive Apartments and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel brands, announced Monday it will invest $500,000 in seed money to support a water conservation program in China.
The “Nobility of Nature” program aims to protect the largest source of fresh water on the planet, with a focus on work in Sichuan Province, the area hit hardest by the 2008 earthquake. In addition to the planned water conservation announcement, the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in China have committed to reducing their water and energy use by 25 percent by 2017.
According to a press release from Marriott, the water project will assist rural communities in Sichuan Province with sustainable businesses, such as mushroom farming and honey production, which will place less stress on the environment.
“Marriott is committed to doing business in China and to the well-being of the Chinese 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.”
Marriott plans to add an additional 25 hotels in China by 2013, and each hotel is expected to contribute to the water conservation program. Specifically in China, Marriott’s hotels have reduced water usage by 13.5 percent and energy use by 15.7 percent in the past two years. This isn’t the first time Marriott and its employees have come to the aid of Sichuan Province. In 2008, the company raised more than $3 million to help provide disaster relief to victims of the earthquake which took the lives of nearly 70,000 people.
Marriott International will work with Conservation International and the Government of Pingwu County to provide training and resources to the local communities involved in the project. For more information click here.