Banyan Tree
Since before its launch as a hospitality brand in 1994, Banyan Tree has long had a sustainability green mindset. In 2001, the company launched the its Green Imperative Fund mechanism as a dedicated fund for social and environmental efforts within host communities. In 2005, the Banyan Tree created a full-time headquarter position dedicated to overseeing the group’s sustainable activities across what are now its 29 properties.

Initiatives and achievements this year include having planted its 100,000^th tree since launching its “Greening Communities” tree planting initiative in 2007 and expanding the use of the EarthCheck program for sustainability benchmarking and certification to 13 properties, which began in 2007 at the now Silver-certified Banyan Tree Lijiang (pictured top).

The Yunnan resort has also been a leader within Banyan Tree in terms of pioneering collaborations with local communities on long-term sustainable projects. For example, Banyan Tree Lijiang’s Greening Communities effort was delayed as the resort created a specially tailored solution with a long-term positive impact for the surrounding community. In a nearby area that had been a victim of widespread logging, many within the local community were struggling to support their families. Rather than simply planting replacement trees, which may end up being logged themselves, the hotel engaged the community to find out what was needed. In the end, native fruit trees were chosen to provide both environmental benefits and a stream of nutritional produce and income for residents. When deciding which species to plant, a local preserved-candy manufacturer was asked which fruits it used and would be in demand. The manufacturer was pleased at the option of buying locally and has been confirmed as a purchaser for the first harvest. Banyan Tree is then hoping to purchase some of the locally made candies as turn-down gifts for guests of the resort.

Such holistic and well thought-out projects will be a focus for 2012 and are to be commended for taking into account the flow-on effects of responsible businessincluding positive and negative implications. The group’s 2011 Sustainability Report will be released alongside its annual report in Spring 2012.
www.banyantree.com

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
The hotel group provided a solid commitment to corporate social responsibility by publishing its first sustainability report. The work of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in nurturing habitats for marine life and encouraging eco-tourism has won plaudits from conservationists over the years. In early 2012 for example. the group announced the permanent and immediate ban of shark fin from its restaurant and banquet menus across its entire hotel portfolio. But the report, published last May, brought together five areas of CSR: environment, health and safety, sustainability through] the supply chain, employee engagement and stakeholder relations. In doing so, sustainability was embedded in core company values and strategy.

The report will be published every two years with sustainability efforts measured by EarthCheck and the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Guidelines used as a reference. Social initiatives range from training young adults from underprivileged communities in kitchen and hotel skills to make them self reliant, to raising money for children’s heart surgery and helping improve education and infrastructure at local schools.

Shangri-La has set a 20 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2015. In 2010, 64 hotels and resorts in the group shared 843,615 tonnes of carbon emissions or 56.95kg per guest night, according to the report. Overall, Shangri-La has seen an improvement in carbon emissions with a per guest reduction of 6.79 per cent in 2010 compared with the previous year.

InterContinental Hotels Group
In August 2011, IHG launched the online ‘Innovation Hotel version 2.0’, an improved version of the site that was launched in 2008. Innovation Hotel is IHG’s creative hub for sustainable hotel design and showcases what hotels would look like if they used sustainable technologies, therefore helping to drive a trend in the hospitality industry for greener buildings and operations.

The new version is more interactive and includes new features such as case studies on sustainable features from IHG properties around the world – examples include the InterContinental San Francisco offering Zipcar Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid cars for guests. Another example is a rooftop herb garden that makes use of the condensation water from air conditioners at the Holiday Inn Hotel San Antonio International Airport.

Furthermore, the group has launched an internal ‘Green Engage’ online system to help general managers monitor and manage their property’s energy consumption. Hotels input data into the system, which then compares it with other IHG properties of a similar nature across the world and lists actions that it can take to reduce waste and the consumption of energy and water. Initial trials have shown that the system has the potential help a hotel achieve energy savings of up to 25 per cent. If all of IHG’s 4,500-plus hotels from around the world adopted the Green Engage online system, it is estimated that savings for hotel owners could be as much as US$200 million in total.
www.ichotelsgroup.com