InterContinental hotels to join Earth Hour movement

By Kang Seung-woo

Eight InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)-affiliated hotels operating in Korea will join the Earth Hour movement which is a global energy-saving campaign encouraging people to turn off their lights. This year, the earth hour will be on March 30, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the movement has been held annually since 2007 to raise awareness of climate change and energy saving, encouraging people to turn off lights and not use electricity for at least an hour. With growing concern over heavy particulate matter in Korea, active participation for the cause of carbon reduction and energy saving is expected.

The IHG-affiliated hotels which will join this year's campaign include the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, the InterContinental Seoul COEX, the InterContinental Alpensia Pyeongchang Resort, the Holiday Inn Resort Alpensia Pyeongchang, the Holiday Inn and Suites Alpensia Pyeongchang, the Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo, the Holiday Inn Express Suwon Ingye, and the Holiday Inn Gwangju. In addition to turning off lights, each hotel will organize various environmental protection campaigns.

At the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and the InterContinental Seoul COEX, lights in public spaces will be switched off for an hour from 8:30 p.m. The exterior wall lights and outdoor signboards will also be turned off, while the lights in places where guests frequent will dim to the minimum level. Currently, both hotels are taking initiatives in environmental protection as they have been Gold level certified by EarthCheck for five consecutive years. EarthCheck is a global environmental certification program.

Meanwhile, the IHG is mandating carbon reduction practices through its internal Green Engage program on all its hotels around the world in order to fulfill social responsibility and ensure sustainable management. By implementing the innovative online system designed to keep track of carbon emissions caused by energy and water consumption as well as waste disposal on a monthly basis, the group not only raises awareness and understanding of environmental impact but also presents more than 200 green solutions for carbon reduction.