Parsippany, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide announced that it has achieved an 8 percent reduction in energy use in the first full year of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge.
The government program, launched in 2011 by President Obama, calls on commercial businesses and industrial facilities to reduce their energy intensity by 20 percent by 2020. This program aligns with the company’s goals to reduce carbon emissions by 16 percent by 2017 and by 20 percent by 2020. Additionally as of 2012, Wyndham Worldwide has reduced its global footprint in over 40 countries of its owned, managed, and leased assets by 11.7 percent based on carbon per square footage.
“We are continuously developing eco-friendly efforts across our hospitality portfolio, and this latest achievement of meaningfully reducing our energy use further demonstrates our commitment to advancing environmental sustainability best practices, which is a pillar of our strategic priorities,” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide. “Through our Wyndham Green program, we are committed to exploring and adopting innovative environmental practices, as it reduces costs, fosters the efficient use of resources, and ultimately supports both near- and long-term profitability.”
Wyndham Worldwide reduced its energy through: the Wyndham Green Toolbox, a proprietary eco-software program that tracks and measures environmental impact; an environmental certification program for the company’s participating 190 timeshare properties, a first for the hospitality industry; and the implementation of sustainability best practices across the 10 million square feet of Wyndham Worldwide-controlled assets participating in the U.S. DOE Better Buildings Challenge.
“Our work in sustainability is a tremendous collaboration across all key stakeholders – shareholders, employees, customers, franchisees, suppliers and community partners – who not only develop ideas with incredible potential, but also transform them into tangible results and drive leadership in the industry,” said Faith Taylor, senior vice president sustainability and innovation, Wyndham Worldwide.
