The GrandInterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX are the first hotels in Korea to be awarded the Gold Level from Earthcheck, a global environmental benchmarking program.
Earthcheck is managed by the global environmental advisory group, EC3 Global, which pursues sustainable environmental conservation by assisting international organizations in developing environmental preservation systems, and issues environmental certificates.
General Manager Darren Morrish of the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas said, “We are very happy that our efforts and dedication to become the first Gold Level accredited organization in Korea has been accomplished and we shall continue to look for effective and efficient ways of improving and setting the benchmark as an eco-friendly and focused business.”
To acquire the Global Level, an organization must maintain the Silver Level for five consecutive years, and as such the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX are the first to do so in Korea.
Both hotels established energy and environmental committees in 1989 and have made progress by creating various energy conservation and environmental programs. They include activities in reducing waste, setting energy conservation goals for each department and even placing green cards in every room in the hotel to indicate when guests would like their linen and bath towel to be replaced.
The two hotels have been making efforts to protect and maintain the environment through systematic efforts in recycling waste products, all food waste from the hotels is sent to farms to be used as fertilizer, minimizing pollutants.
Additionally, the hotels were named as Model Hotels in water conservation for installing and operating waste water reclamation systems. They have an agreement with City Hall to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gases. The two have participated in the Mileage System since 2007 and were selected as Excellent Firms by Gangnam District in 2009 as well as employing the Best Practice in Green Management by the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute in 2012.