After a three-year effort, the 30-year-old headquarters of Marriott International in Bethesda, Maryland, has earned LEED Gold for existing buildings. The hotelier implemented multiple strategies to attain the status, including:
- Achieving and maintaining an ENERGY STAR® rating of 77 (out of 100; a score of 75 or better indicates top performance) for the last three years, which has placed the building in the top 25th percentile for energy efficiency when compared to buildings of similar age, size, and use and an accumulated reduction of 9.04 percent in electricity consumption
- Increasing the recycling rate to 69 percent in 2009 and diverting all headquarters waste from the landfill to a waste-to-energy plant
- Eliminating disposable products and converting to permanent dishes and flatware in the cafeteria
- Purchasing higher efficiency lighting options with reduced mercury content
- Installing motion sensors in all restrooms, telephone, and electrical closets
- Choosing cost-neutral or highly-recycled office supplies
- Offering designated parking for hybrid vehicles and providing car-sharing for employees through a partnership with Connect by Hertz
In addition, Marriott plans to expand its green building portfolio to approximately 300 properties in five years; today, there are 40 LEED hotels certified or registered across nine Marriott brands.
