The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada – Ahead of the Pack
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is the largest luxury hotel company in North America, with a tidy collection of 56 hotels around the world. Its size means that if run incorrectly, the effects on the environment could be disastrous. Luckily, the company also enjoys an international reputation as an environmental leader in the industry.
Way back in 1990, when people thought global warming meant having to buy less jumpers, these guys were way ahead of the pack. Guided by its Green Partnership Program, an environmental initiative pioneered by its Canadian properties in 1990, the company received two prestigious awards in 2006 alone: the Global Tourism Business Award and the Worldwide Hospitality Award for Best Corporate Responsibility Program. Perhaps its greatest compliment came from the National Geographic Traveller which claimed that that Fairmont Hotel and Resorts has “the most comprehensive environmental program in the North American hotel industry. In fact, the Green Partnership Program’s Green Partnership Guide has been endorsed by none other than world-renowned environmental activist Dr. David Suzuki.
Green Cuisine
The hotel offers a “Green Cuisine” to customers and even staff which consists of sustainable, locally produced, organically grown food. “We are always told to think globally and act locally here at Springs. We all contribute in our own way.” – Jeff, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
The leftover food is converted into composting organic waste, which is then converted into mulch for the use of local farmers to start the whole process over again. All untouched food from banquets, buffets, etc goes to local homeless shelters.
The example that Fairmont Banff Springs has set has been copied by its smaller peers around Banff, meaning the future of Banff National Park is looking as bright and green as ever.