Sixteen of New York City's biggest hotels have joined the NYC Carbon Challenge, a city program that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent over the next 10 years. To live up to their pledge, the participating establishments should cut their emissions by 32,000 metric tons.
Hotels who vowed to go green in 2016 include the Waldorf Astoria, Crowne Plaza Times Square, Dream Downtown, Grand Hyatt New York, Hotel Pennsylvania, Hudson Hotel, Loews Regency Hotel and The Peninsula New York. Together, the hotels boast more than 11,000 rooms.
New York City officials said that they hope to inspire others by inviting globally-famous hotels to join the effort. "If some of New York's most iconic hotels can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, anyone can," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
Participating in the NYC Carbon Challenge could include major renovations such as retrofitting buildings with updated, efficient equipment for heating and cooling, replacing boilers, improving lighting and adding insulation.
As part of their pledge, the Waldorf Astoria is updating their iconic building which is now 84 years old. Over the years, it has hosted notable personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev as well as US presidents who stay in their special suite designed to imitate the White House.
According to a statement from the hotel's management, cutting emissions follows the hotel's motto of "the difficult immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer." Waldorf Astoria's Hotel Managing Director Michael Hoffman stated, "We pride ourselves in the ability to embrace a challenge."
Last Monday, the New York City Hall launched the NYC Retrofit Accelerator which will provide free technical assistance and advisory services to building owners to improve energy efficiency and water conservation. It will also help buildings convert to a cleaner source of energy.