Earth Day – A Great Reminder

April 23rd, 2012

Mandy Farmer Pres of Accent Inns plants BC Dogwood with help from Bill Turner of the TLC

Yesterday was Earth Day which was a perfect opportunity for me to reflect.

I’m thrilled to congratulate my whole team on achieving and maintaining a rating of 4 Green Keys! Yes, that’s right, all five of the Accent Inns throughout BC are rated as Four Green Key Properties by the Hotel Association of Canada. This is the second highest available rating and one that shows national industry leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through wide ranging policies and practices.

We’ve received this distinction because of hard work and so I’d especially like to thank our team:

• Housekeepers: the in-room recycling, all that sorting and organizing that you have been doing, makes such a difference. And don’t forget the countless lights that you turn off and heaters that you turn down.
• Maintenance: installing energy efficient lighting everywhere and keeping all our appliances running smoothly and efficiently.
• Front Desk: diligent recycling of paper.
• Head office: making the environment a priority with the following decisions: soap dispensers in all the rooms, acquiring sensor AC controls, garbage audits, and calculating our carbon footprint.

In addition to all that we’ve also forged relationships with locally-based environmental groups such as The Land Conservancy and The Sierra Club of BC that are working to bring about long-term environmental change to our region. Our Fish for the Future program is another example of not only how we  support organizations like the Pacific Salmon Foundation and Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, but also how important it is to draw attention to their great efforts.

Here’s what Michelle Bonner, Climate Smart’s Director of Training says about us: “Accent Inns has demonstrated its leadership and commitment to reducing its carbon footprint through its participation in the Climate Smart program. By conducting a thorough inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions, Accent Inns now has a baseline against which to track the impact of its initiatives. As well as being good for the planet, this is smart business practice.”

How do we stack up to our competition? Well, it’s true that Fairmont properties do have 5 Green Keys and we congratulate them on that. It’s also true that many more of our direct competitors, not that I’m going to mention any names, have only have 3 Green Keys. So our 4 key rating and efforts with our community partners really make us stand out!

Way to go team!!

Mandy