Yesterday (May 11), Delta Hotels, Canada’s largest independent hotel chain, announced the launch of one of the most ambitious and comprehensive environmental sustainability programs within the hospitality industry.
The chain-wide ‘Delta Greens’ program affects more than 8,000 employees at 46 properties who have been challenged to help the organization reach the targets set out in the program. Every aspect of the hotel business will be tracked – from guest services and suppliers to construction, operations and maintenance.
All hotels are committed to decreasing energy consumption, carbon emissions and water consumption by 30 percent within five years, and increasing waste diversion by 25 percent.
Already, Delta Montreal and Delta Centre-Ville redistribute leftovers from their kitchens to local charities. They also reward guests who drive hybrid cars with free parking spaces, painted green, just outside the hotel.
“Delta Greens is nothing short of a revolution in how we approach our business,” explained Hank Stackhouse, CEO. “We have examined every aspect of our operations and asked ourselves, ‘How could we do this more sustainably?’”
Delta will track its progress online via the ‘IRIS,’ an interactive tracking tool that stands for Integrated Rating Indicator for Sustainability. Delta’s rating will be posted prominently on the company’s website and updated three times a year.