Novotel Wellington, part of the Accor group of hotels and resorts, achieved the highest level in the pilot program that provides an independent verification of a business’s environmental practices. It is the equivalent of an ‘Enviro-Gold’ rating, which will be the official accreditation when the program is officially launched in August.
The hotel achieved five out of five major areas being addressed and identified 30 specific environmental and sustainable practices above the 25 required.
The property’s green initiatives include recycling options in guest rooms, introducing energy efficient light bulbs, an automatic switch off of some electrical functions in guest rooms when not being used, flow regulators on showers and taps and paperless check in, among others. A strong emphasis is also placed on continually increasing employee and guest awareness of sustainability issues.
All Accor hotels follow an international 65-point Environmental Charter, which they must work toward compliance of, with new actions required every year. The group also introduced its Earth Guest program in 2006 to join together its social and environmental responsibility initiatives.
As part of the Earth Guest program, Novotel Wellington has been involved in community activities such as tree plantings and clean-ups of a local stream and is also active in the group’s partnership with Cure Kids, an organisation that raises funds for vital medical research into serious childhood illnesses.
