Created by WWF, Earth Hour began in 2007 as a way for individuals and businesses to show how simple steps can make a significant impact on addressing climate change.
MACAO – Conrad Macao, Cotai Central will be marking Earth Hour 2015 from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 28, 2015. The hotel will join hundreds of Hilton Worldwide’s more than 4,000 hotels and timeshare properties by switching off lights, as well as organizing other projects for guests in demonstration of their commitment to live sustainably and take action by caring for the planet in the year ahead.
The hotel will be turning off its external facade lights; dimming all non-essential lighting in its restaurants and lounges; as well as its sparkling crystal chandelier that is the centrepiece of its lobby – as people and organisations around the world turn off their lights in support of action on global climate change. In its place will be a spectacular display made up of more than 280 candles illuminating the lobby, taking the formation of Earth Hour’s ‘60+’ logo x 12 denoting the hotel’s commitment to Earth Hour, Every Month.
Conrad Macao’s commitment to conserving energy goes well beyond a once-a-year event, making it a bi-weekly event, switching off all non-essential lighting on the first and third Tuesday of each month as part of its green resolution to observe ‘Earth Hour, Every Month.’
The extended Earth Hour participation started in 2013 when Conrad Macao posed a friendly challenge for other hotels in Macao to join its monthly lights-out as part of Earth Hour’s global ‘I Will If You Will’ campaign.
“Earth Hour is one of the many ways we show our commitment to energy conservation while delivering great guest experiences. We are encouraging our guests, neighbors and Team Members to join us in support of this global effort,”
“We have been diligent in rolling out various green initiatives since we first opened back in April 2012 and at the same time we have taken the initiative to have this as a fortnightly exercise and not just a once-a-year event. It’s an initiative which we were proud to be at the forefront of, and which has been met with great support not only from other hotels and integrated resorts in Macao, but also the Macao Government, Earth Hour Global, and WWF Hong Kong.” said Bede Barry, General Manager.
In addition Conrad Macao actively practices green initiatives on a daily basis, the hotel has replaced more than 25,000 light bulbs with new LED/energy efficient ones which have resulted in energy savings of more than 1 million KWH. Other energy initiatives include implementing operational efficiency improvements to the hotel’s central chilled water plant resulting in annualized energy reductions of over 2.8 million KWH.
Created by WWF, Earth Hour began in 2007 as a way for individuals and businesses to show how simple steps can make a significant impact on addressing climate change. This worldwide effort began in Sydney, Australia when more than two million people turned off their lights for an hour and reduced the city’s energy consumption by more than 10 percent. It became a global movement in 2008 with more than 50 million people participating, and today it is the largest grassroots environmental movement in the world with more than 7,000 cities and towns in 152 countries and territories and hundreds of millions of people participating across seven continents. In 2013 alone 345 million people were reached through the campaign’s website and social media. This year’s theme focuses on mobilizing young people to become the next generation of leaders for a sustainable world, a theme that resonates with several Hilton Worldwide commitments to connect and prepare young people over the next five years.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts has a long history of supporting Earth Hour and the original idea was even dreamt up during a WWF meeting held at the Hilton Sydney.
Participation in Earth Hour is part of Hilton Worldwide’s commitment to Living Sustainably, one of the four pillars of the company’s responsibility and sustainability strategy, Travel with Purpose. In demonstration of its commitment in this area, Hilton Worldwide has elevated sustainability as a performance metric and a brand standard across all hotels, raising it to the same level of importance as quality, service and revenue. To support the company’s sustainability goals, LightStay, Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary performance system, is used to measure, analyze and report on sustainability data across the global portfolio.
Photo caption: Conrad Macao will celebrate Earth Hour and the Power of Living Sustainably on 28 Mar with 280 candles illuminating the hotel foyer.
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