Club CarlsonSM is celebrating the successful first year its Meetings Minus Carbon program, a global carbon-offsetting initiative aimed at reducing the estimated carbon footprint for all Club Carlson for Planners events worldwide. Partnering with Carbon Footprint Ltd., Club Carlson is the first hotel loyalty program to implement this type of purposeful, environmental effort with its clients on such a scale. In the 12 months following its inception, the program has purchased carbon credits to offset nearly 12,000 tons of CO2 across the hotel group’s five brands worldwide through the following projects:
- The 5-Megawatt Wind Mill project: A verified carbon standard (VCS) project that is focused on renewable green power generation from four wind mills installed in Tirunelveli District in Tamil Nadu, India, each generating 1.25 megawatts
- Tree planting in Kenya: With this initiative, one tree is planted in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya for every ton of CO2 offset in the Meetings Minus Carbon program. Implemented by The Escarpment Environment Conservation Network (ESCONET), this project aims to effectively mobilize and build the Great Rift Valley’s capacity to rehabilitate, conserve and protect its natural ecosystem.
“The Kikuyu escarpment forest formed a beautiful gateway to the Great Rift Valley until degradation set in,” explained, Mburu Waiganjo, ESCONET project coordinator. “The environment is a major source of water and livelihood for our communities, and the Club Carlson contribution helped us to plant 30,000 indigenous trees on 30 hectares of the most degraded areas in the Valley this year. In addition, this project now keeps 30 members from the neighboring forest community gainfully employed, which means they can better provide for their family’s daily needs, education for their children and the purchase of energy saving stoves. Living standards for this community have been raised considerably."
“Meetings Minus Carbon is an innovative and unique service of Club Carlson and we are pleased to be the first hotel loyalty program to offer carbon offsetting to our planners,” said Rachael Marret, senior vice president Customer Engagement, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “In addition to Club Carlson for Planners members, our individual members also have the opportunity to redeem their Gold Points® to offset the carbon of their personal travel in support of the wind farms in India and the tree-planting in Kenya.”
To learn more about Meetings Minus Carbon and Club Carlson for Planners, visit www.clubcarlson.com/planners.