�Our hotels can be compared to small villages with hundreds of people living and working together under one roof.  Our vision is to empower each employee and each guest to make ecologically-responsible choices to help us reduce our overall impact on the environment,� said Tony Cary-Barnard, co-chair of the Environment Committee at CHIP Hospitality. 

�A commitment to the environment are not just buzzwords,� adds Cary-Barnard. CHIP Hospitality has made it part of the corporate culture and daily operations from the frontline to the boardroom. In time for Canadian Environment Week, June 2-8, the company wants guests and other travellers to make their hotel visit easier on the environment whenever they travel by:

1. Staying at a Green Leaf� Eco-rated hotel.  Visit www.hacgreenleaf.ca for a complete list of Green Leaf� hotels across Canada.
2. Requesting that your towels and sheets not be washed every day during your stay.
3. Turning off the lights and turning down the heat/air conditioning unit when you leave your room.
4. Recycling newspaper, glass and plastic in the in-room Blue Box.
5. Learning more about eco-friendly hotel practices by speaking with the General Manager.
6. Telling your friends about environmentally friendly hotels and reducing your impact on the environment.

Each CHIP Hospitality hotel has an Environmental Committee made up of employees from a variety of operational areas that investigate ways to reduce the hotel�s impact on the environment.  This includes everything from choosing hotel soaps and cleaning detergents that are soft on the environment to installing energy efficient lighting, upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, improving waste management practices, and reducing water and energy consumption. 

�CHIP Hospitality shows tremendous leadership in operational and environmental issues by being involved in the Green Leaf program,� says Kevin Gallagher, Vice-President of TerraChoice Environmental Services Inc., which manages the program on behalf of the Hotel Association of Canada. �Guests can rest assured knowing that they have made an environmentally-responsible choice.�

To date, CHIP Hospitality has spent about $3.5-million on new equipment and conservation programs to bring its hotels up to three Green Leafs and three hotels to a four-Green Leaf rating.  Energy consumption � including electricity, natural gas, propane, oil and steam � has dropped 7 per cent at participating hotels between 1999 and 2002. 

�The hotel industry�s desire to provide quality guest services while minimizing the impacts on the environment is the impetus behind the development of the Green Leaf program,� said Tony Pollard, President of the Hotel Association of Canada.  �CHIP Hospitality has demonstrated that going green is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but also provides tangible bottom-line benefits for hotels by reducing energy, water and other costs.�

CHIP Hospitality is one of Canada�s leading hotel management companies, currently managing 38 hotels in Canada and Washington State with over 8,400 rooms.