Marriott hosted an awards ceremony in Shanghai at the Marriott Shanghai Luwan to recognise representatives of three sponsor companies and 10 hotel ambassadors for their support of Nobility of Nature, the company's ambitious freshwater conservation programme in China.

The sponsors and hotel ambassadors have helped to advance Nobility of Nature's efforts since its debut in 2010.



Picture L to R: Craig S. Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Marriott International Asia; John Sciarrone, Vice President – Institutional Global Accounts, Asia Pacific, Ecolab; Caroline Sheng, Corporate Accounts Director – Institutional, Ecolab China; Wang Yuchuan, Manager – Special Channel Department, Nongfu Spring; Loren Chiang, General Manager, Cheng Bao; Michael Malik, Market Vice President – Shanghai, Marriott International; Mari L Snyder, Vice President – Social Responsibility & Community Engagement, Marriott International; Jerry Miao, General Manager, Shanghai Marriott Hotel Luwan

The hotel management company – with some 61 operating and another 66 signed hotel projects in China - continues to expand its support for the project in line with its rapid expansion in the country. 

Immediately following the awards ceremony, Nobility of Nature hotel ambassadors were also invited to see the programme's progress at first hand in Sichuan Province. In addition, their itinerary included a ceremony to mark the opening of the programme's latest Sichuan province site just one year after the project's launch in Yingjing County.

Announced in 2010, Nobility of Nature is a collaboration between Marriott International and Conservation International to support freshwater conservation and assist rural communities with sustainable businesses that put less stress on China's environment, most especially its sources of fresh water. Marriott International invested US$500,000 in seed money to support the programme which provides grants, training, resources and community development for villages in Sichuan Province. Over the past two years Nobility of Nature has supported two bee farming cooperatives in Guanba village and Yingjing County in Sichuan.

The three sponsors being recognised for their support of Nobility of Nature include:

• Cheng Bao Juice Company - preferred juice supplier of Marriott International in China. The company has provided organic food certification assistance for the project in addition to repackaging and design support for the Nobility of Nature honey, which is available for sale in Marriott hotels throughout greater China. To date Marriott International has purchased nearly 6 tonnes of honey harvested by the two cooperatives and redirects a portion of the proceeds toward ongoing programme support.
• NongFu Spring - preferred bottled water supplier for Marriott International in China. For each bottle of water it sells to Marriott hotels in China, a portion of the proceeds is donated to Nobility of Nature. As of July 1, 2012, NongFu Spring has donated RMB99,000 to support the initiative. As the hotel portfolio of Marriott International in China is expanding rapidly, the contributions of NongFu Spring will further increase.
• Ecolab - supports Nobility of Nature with the provision of water saving communication throughout the operating kitchens and laundries of Marriott hotels in China. They have also worked with Marriot hotels in China to develop a cold water laundry process which consumes less hot water and electricity through shortened wash cycles and reduced process time.

In the ceremony, 10 Nobility of Nature hotel ambassadors were also recognised for their ambitions in enhancing the momentum of Nobility of Nobility at their respective hotels.

In July 2012, each Marriott hotel in China formed a Nobility of Nature Ambassador Committee that consists of associates from various departments. Each committee submitted a plan for how their hotel will engage in a number of activites from water saving initiatives to property Weibo pages to further promote Nobility of Nature in 2013. Plans from five hotels were selected for engaging the most associates while incurring the least expense. The 10 ambassadors who will be recognised in Shanghai are representatives of these five winning committees.

"Marriott International strives to demonstrate by example how responsible hospitality management can be a positive force for the environment, create economic opportunities around the world, and inspire personal action in the communities where we operate," said Craig S. Smith, Marriott International's Chief Operating Officer, Asia. "Nobility of Nature is a great showcase of this vision and has created an impact in China. In this process, we encourage and welcome our partners and associates to pitch in and create a bigger impact for Nobility of Nature in China together." 

From 2009 to 2011, the water consumption of Marriott hotels in China decreased by 17.24%, while waste to landfill per occupied room witnessed a drop of 8.48%. Even though the number of Marriott hotels in China has increased phenomenally in the past three years, their total energy consumption has remained flat. 

"Considering the fact that the number of our hotels in China has been increasing significantly during the past couple of years, these results are exceptional," Smith added.

Marriott International has set a ‘Spirit to Preserve' environmental strategy with the following goals:

• Further reduce energy and water consumption 20% by 2020;
• Empower our hotel development partners to build green hotels;
• Green our multi-billion dollar supply chain;
• Educate and inspire associates and guests to conserve and preserve; and
• Address environmental challenges through innovative conservation initiatives including rainforest protection and water conservation.