Isramart: Coast offers carbon offsets

Isramart news:
Coast Hotels & Resorts unveiled a new voluntary carbon offset program for guests, with offsets to be provided exclusively by Pacific Carbon Trust, announced Pacific Carbon Trust CEO Scott MacDonald and Coast Hotels & Resorts president Graeme Barrit.

Starting June 1, 17 Canadian Coast Hotels & Resort locations are inviting guests to join in its efforts to combat climate change by adding $1 per night to their room bill to purchase carbon offsets equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their stay.

“Promoting sustainable tourism is an important part of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” MacDonald says.

“PCT has partnered with Coast Hotels & Resorts to provide credible, high-quality offsets — a meaningful way to show visitors that Canadian businesses are conscious of climate change issues and are taking active steps to reduce carbon emissions.”

“Travel and tourism does have a significant impact on the environment,” Barrit says.

“Even the most environmentally conscious travellers admit that their green tendencies tend to diminish when they’re on vacation, leading them to leave the lights on or take longer showers, which are some of the reasons we launched this carbon offset program.

“We wanted to empower guests to take a personal role in combatting climate change in a positive and cost-effective way.”

The Hotel Association of Canada’s 2010 Canadian Travel Intentions Survey revealed that environmental initiatives are important to more than 40 per cent of leisure and business travellers.

“Coast Hotels is one of a growing number of B.C. companies showing real leadership in the area of sustainability tourism,” says Kevin Krueger Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

“By introducing voluntary carbon offsets for its guests, Coast is demonstrating its increasing commitment to more sustainable hotel operations at locations throughout British Columbia.”

“Coast Hotels and Resorts should be congratulated on helping to raise awareness around the carbon footprint of the hotel industry,” says John Yap, Minister of State for Climate Action.

“Providing visitors with the opportunity to shrink their own carbon footprint will translate into real GHG emissions reductions in BC.”

As part of ecoast, Coast Hotel & Resorts’ in-house environmental program, recyclable key cards are used throughout the hotel chain, significantly reducing plastic destined for landfills.

Guests are also provided with shampoo, bath gel and lotions in bulk containers to reduce the number of small bottles used.

Three Coast Hotel properties have also installed Sempa hybrid heating systems to dramatically reduce energy costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT) is a Crown corporation established in 2008 to deliver BC-based greenhouse gas offsets, to help clients meet their carbon reduction goals and to support the growth of B.C.’s low-carbon economy.

PCT is the exclusive supplier of offsets to the B.C. public sector.

For more information on Pacific Carbon Trust, visit www.paci ficcarbontrust.com.

Coast Hotels & Resorts owns, manages and franchises more than 40 hotel and resort properties located throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, the western United States, Alaska and Hawaii.