2016 is the year New York City’s big players finally pledge to go green. Buildings account for approximately 75% of citywide greenhouse gas emissions. While many newer buildings have focused efforts on creating a sustainable planet, it’s New York’s elder staples that have yet to join the movement. This change begins now with 16 of the city’s most prestigious hotels.
The Waldorf Astoria and The Peninsula are amongst the haute hotels that have signed a pledge to reduce their emissions. This citywide plan, put forward by Mayor Bill de Blasio, is projected to eliminate the amount of emissions caused by 100,000 cars on the road. This accounts for 32,000 metric tons of emissions and will save approximately $25 million in energy costs. The initiative has been dubbed the ‘NYC Carbon Challenge,’ and promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 30% over the next 10 years, and 80% by 2050.
Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Nilda Mesa states “In joining the NYC Carbon Challenge, New York City’s iconic hotels are now also worldwide leaders in the fight against climate change, and are once again redefining excellence in the hospitality sector to include responsibility for climate action.”
“While visitors to NYC for the most part won’t be able to see the building system changes, these steps will be every bit as important to the city as the steps the Rockettes take.”
New York City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. In 2014, New York welcomed a staggering 56.5 million visitors. While 16 may seem like a small number compared to the amount of hotels in the city, they still represent more than 11,000 rooms. Every choice counts in the case for sustainability. Next time you’re making the decision on which hotel you might stay in, don’t forget to think about a better tomorrow!
Here are the 16 hotels who have already signed up for the NYC Carbon Challenge:
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
1 Hotel Central Park
Crowne Plaza Times Square
Dream Downtown
Grand Hyatt New York
Hotel Pennsylvania
Hudson Hotel
Loews Regency Hotel
Lotte New York Palace
The Pierre – A Taj Hotel
The Peninsula New York
InterContinental New York Barclay
InterContinental New York Times Square
Roger Smith Hotel
Waldorf Astoria New York
Westin New York at Times Square
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