PARSIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyndham
Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) commemorated five years of sustainability
leadership with a milestone tree planting ceremony through its
partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the largest
environmental nonprofit membership organization dedicated to
planting trees. In an outdoor ceremony including Wyndham Worldwide
executives and partners from the Arbor
Day Foundation, the company celebrated the fulfillment of
its goal to plant one million trees and reinforced the commitment
to reducing its environmental footprint by 25 percent by the year
2025.
"At Wyndham Worldwide, we work every day to minimize the
environmental impact of doing business," said Faith Taylor, senior vice president, corporate
social responsibility, Wyndham Worldwide. "Our success in planting
one million trees was driven by the Wyndham Vacation Ownership team
of associates and owners led by Sam
Buckingham, vice president, resort renovation &
design."
Wyndham Worldwides's partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is part of the Wyndham Green
sustainability program and embodies the company's commitment to
reducing its environmental footprint, preserving natural resources,
and developing innovative solutions to manage climate change.
Additionally, as a global hospitality leader, Wyndham Worldwide has
been named for the fourth consecutive year to the North American
Dow Jones Sustainability Index for operating in a socially,
environmentally and economically responsible way. Equally
impressive, Wyndham Worldwide is the only hospitality company in
North America to be named to this
year's list.
"We applaud and congratulate Wyndham Vacation Ownership for
their one million tree milestone," said Matt Harris, Arbor
Day Foundation chief executive. "Because of their
stewardship, communities and forests across the nation are now able
to enjoy the myriad of benefits that trees supply. It is our hope
that Wyndham will serve as inspiration to others in helping in our
mission to plant, nurture and celebrate trees."
Since 2009, Wyndham has implemented several innovative
sustainability programs in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, across more than 200
Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) resorts and corporate offices.
These initiatives have greatly contributed to the achievement of
planting one million trees:
- Rain Forest Rescue® Project: This project
supports shade-grown coffee served in WVO resort units and
corporate offices. Last year, this specialty coffee preserved
27,204,388 square feet of invaluable rain forest through the
purchase of more than 264,120 lbs of coffee annually. This coffee
also helps to provide coffee growers with access to fair wages,
health care, better housing, and schooling for their children.
- Carbon Offset Program: Owners and guests at WVO resorts
can voluntarily offset their carbon emissions from their stay and
plant a tree in one of the nation's state or national forests. To
date, 1,400 carbon-neutral room nights have been purchased by WVO
owners to offset their vacations.
- Lied Lodge & Conference Center Renovation: In
2014, WVO collaborated on a large-scale, multi-million dollar
renewal of the Lied Lodge in Nebraska
City, Nebraska. WVO donated more than $1.2 million in labor and purchased products to
the project. With environmental programs that focus on trees,
conservation and environmental stewardship, Lied Lodge &
Conference Center serves as a resource for conservation-related
organizations, businesses, educators, forestry professionals, and
others from around the globe wishing to benefit from and enjoy the
facility.
About Wyndham Worldwide:
Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) is one of the largest global
hospitality companies, providing travelers with access to a
collection of trusted hospitality brands in hotels, vacation
ownership, and unique accommodations including vacation exchange,
holiday parks, and managed home rentals. With a collective
inventory of more than 120,000 places to stay across 100 countries
on six continents, Wyndham Worldwide and its 38,000 associates
welcomes people to experience travel the way they want. This is
enhanced by Wyndham Rewards®, the Company's re-imagined
guest loyalty program across its businesses, which is making it
simpler for members to earn more rewards and redeem their points
faster. For more information, please
visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.
About the Arbor Day
Foundation:
The Arbor Day
Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization
of one million members, with the mission to inspire people to
plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the
Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.
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SOURCE Wyndham Worldwide