SHANGHAI, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- In line with Marriott International’s ongoing “Spirit to Preserve” community campaign, Marriott International participated in the 2011 Earth Hour, a global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), held on the last Saturday of March, to raise awareness about climate change.
On Saturday, 26 March 2011, 25 of Marriott’s cluster hotels in Greater Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Ningbo and Wuhan switched off their respective exterior and non-essential lights for one hour between 8.30pm and 9.30pm in support of the Earth Hour. The properties are as follows:
In total, the cluster properties consolidated a savings of 4,814 kilowatt of energy within the hour, or 4,800 kilograms of carbon emission that require 192 trees to absorb in a year (based on an estimated 25 kilograms of carbon emission per tree per year).
These savings are also equivalent to the energy that takes one to and from Shanghai to Beijing for nine rounds on a 1.6 litre car.
JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai represented the group’s cluster hotels to record the Earth Hour with the media and hotel guests. Minutes before powering down, guests were invited to the candlelit lobby on level 38, where everyone enjoyed an hour complimentary flow of Earth Hour Green Cocktails specially concocted for the event and count down to the Earth Hour. A synchronized lights out throughout the city from the hotel’s 360 degree panoramic windows was witnessed.
For more information on WWF’s Earth Hour, visit their website at www.earthhour.org
About Marriott International
Marriott International is a leading lodging company with more than 3,400 lodging properties in 68 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites Inn and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, The Ritz-Carlton Residences and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland USA, and had approximately 137,000 employees at 2009 yearend. It is recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2009, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $11 billion. For more information, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global initiative in partnership with WWF. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 26, 2011 at 8:30 PM to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. By 2010, Earth Hour had created history as the largest voluntary action ever witnessed with participation across 128 countries and territories and every continent, including the world’s most recognized man-made marvels and natural wonders in a landmark environmental action.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global Network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
