ALBERTA, CANADA—In only 32 months, Delta Hotels by Marriott, in partnership with WEARTH, has to date helped Delta hotel guests to plant more than 100,000 trees in conserved lands across Alberta, Canada through the hotels’ GreenSTAY program.
The GreenSTAY program, launched in February 2015, gives guests the option to plant one tree for each night they have opted out of housekeeping. WEARTH plants the actual trees on behalf of every applicable GreenSTAY guest night, and guests, who can also plant a matching virtual tree online, must stay at least two nights to participate in the program. By opting out of the housekeeping services, guests reduce the amount of chemicals, water and energy being used in the hotel daily. The indirect benefit is the simultaneous restoration of Canadian forests and land to their natural ecological state.
“Most of our hotel sustainability endeavors are focused on efforts to conserve within our hotels,” says Marriott Hotels of Canada President, Don Cleary. “The Delta Hotels GreenSTAY program provides the opportunity for guests to join us to help conserve natural resources in Canada’s forest lands, thus reaching beyond our hotels’ doors. We are extremely proud of reaching 100,000 trees planted in Alberta, and look forward to planting the next 100,000 in Niagara, Ontario and across the country.
The 100,000 trees that have been planted by WEARTH are native species and have restored over 258,000 square feet, the size of about 163 NHL rinks, of forest near Manning, Alberta. With 100,000 trees now planted in Alberta, the GreenSTAY program is moving its mission across Canada, with a focus on the Niagara region—choosing the territory to combat the destructive effects of the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle.
“We became a proud part of the GreenSTAY program because of the opportunity it provided to plant more trees here in Canada and the dedication Delta Hotels By Marriott has shown for taking the next step to share their sustainability journey,” says WEARTH Co-Founder Brad Rabiey. “The first 100,000 trees has meant significant restoration in the fragmented Boreal region of Alberta and we are already seeing animal use increasing, something which will be monitored and reported as the forest matures. This initiative is allowing us to restore natural habitats across Canada one seedling at a time.”
To learn more about Marriott’s International’s worldwide sustainability and social impact efforts, visit serve360.marriott.com.
