I was excited to learn that Marriott Vacation Club has a scheduled beach cleanup at several of their resorts, and first learned about this in January during a vacation at Marriott’s Oceana Palms on Singer Island, Florida.  That was a great experience, and it inspired me to contact Marriott Vacation Club about their beach cleanups and other Green initiatives at their resorts.  They were kind enough to have executives answer my questions, and I found that Marriott is doing a great deal in the Green and sustainable arena when it comes to their resorts.  In April I was on vacation at Marriott’s Barony Beach Club on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and had the opportunity to talk with staff about Green initiatives at the resort.  This post is a combination of comments I received from Marriott Vacation Club and my experience at Marriott’s Barony Beach Club.

Marriott’s Barony Beach Club is located on the beach in Hilton Head, great for walking, kite flying, swimming, watching the waves or lying in the sun.  The resort has a friendly atmosphere with many owners who’ve come for years and many who stay several weeks at a time.  As a first-time visitor, I was drawn right in.  After spending a week there I can’t wait to return.  It was a place to relax and enjoy life with the ocean right outside my door. 

I also found it was a place committed to preserving the environment and helping others whenever possible.  Eric Priester, General Manager at Marriott’s Barony Beach Club, outlined their beach cleanup program for me.  “We hold our beach clean ups every four weeks on Thursday mornings at 8:30 a.m.  All guests and Owners are welcome to join, as well as any Associates who are able to spare an hour.  We provide all of the supplies (gloves, trash bags, etc.) and we ask guests to meet at the end of our boardwalk by the beach.  We do a quick overview and introduction and then begin to walk and search the beach for trash.  We cover the beach from our property up to Marriott’s SurfWatch, so it’s a little more than a mile of beach.  At the end, a resort van picks up the group and takes them back to Barony.  These beach clean ups started approximately three years ago through a joint effort between Marriott’s SurfWatch and Marriott’s Barony Beach Club.”

I had a chance to hear about other day-to-day Green efforts and activities at Marriott’s Barony Beach Club from resort management who were enthusiastic to talk about their initiatives.  It’s clear they’ve put many plans in place with more to come – and I found kindred spirits who love Hilton Head and want to maintain the beauty of the Island.  Besides the beach cleanup, the resort keeps an eye out to be Green whenever possible and turn recycling into donations to non-profits and local organizations as well – an added bonus and a pleasant surprise to hear.  For example, during the resort’s recent remodeling, appliances being replaced were sold and all funds were  donated to the Children’s Miracle Network.  Televisions were also donated to the local school system and Habitat for Humanity, and old carpets were used as padding for moving furniture and protecting walls as furniture was moved in and out of the villas.

Marriott’s Barony Beach Club follows brand guidelines to reduce their environmental footprint as well, and was recognized by Audubon International for their environmental planning.  There are low wattage light bulbs in the villas, automatic cutoff for air conditioners, and appliances have an Energy Star rating.  Their recycling program includes recycling bins in every villa.  Soap that is left behind when owners leave is sent to the Global Soap Project in Atlanta, Georgia.  This non-profit collects leftover soap from hotels, sanitizes and remolds it, and ships the new soap to Africa for refugees. Another great recycling idea with growing participation by hotels in the United States.

The beach cleanup – which started my inquiry into Marriott Vacation Club’s Green initiatives – has been popular with owners who stay for one or several weeks and is also an opportunity for associates to be involved in the resort’s Green initiatives.

Ed Kinney, Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Brand Awareness for Marriott Vacation Club International outlined some of the Green activities that exist for Owners at Marriott Vacation Club resorts.  “With more than 50 Marriott Vacation Club resorts in some of the most desirable locations worldwide, our resorts take great pride in caring for the surrounding environment and take special steps to include our Owners and guests in green activities. A few examples include:

 Marriott’s Mountain Valley Lodge – At Marriott’s Mountain Valley Lodge in Breckenridge, Colo., Associates, owners and guests participated in a tree planting program by planting 60 trees in an area of Breckenridge completely leveled by a Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.

Marriott’s Oceana Palms & Marriott’s Ocean Pointe– Weekly beach cleanup activities are also offered to Owners and guests at Marriott’s Ocean Pointe and Marriott’s Oceana Palms on Singer Island. Every week, groups at each resort head out to the beach to pick up trash along a 2 mile stretch. At Marriott’s Ocean Pointe, guests also gather for a weekly “green update,” aimed at educating them about recycling and the steps they can take to “green” their stay. Furthermore, at Marriott’s Oceana Palms, guests are made conscious of their natural surroundings by reading information about the area’s treasured loggerhead turtles that is displayed on the beach access boardwalk.

2010 Earth Hour – On Saturday, March 27, at 8:30 p.m., local time, Marriott Vacation Club resorts worldwide turned out their lights, for one hour, in support of Earth Hour. Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club included Owners and guests in this effort by distributing fliers and displaying information in the lobby.”

Marriott Vacation Club, thank you for talking with me and sharing information about your Green efforts.  As I researched and spoke with you, I admit I was surprised – and impressed – by the scope of Green initiatives in place.  It’s clear that Marriott Vacation Club is making an effort to conserve and recycle at their resorts.  Of course this saves money and makes good business sense – and we wouldn’t want it any other way.  But the commitment is clearly there, and not easy to achieve while pleasing a wide range of guests and owners in the process, each with their own ideas about the vacation experience.  So kudos to Marriott Vacation Club.  I’ll be writing more about your efforts in a future post!

For more information about Marriott Vacation Club, visit www.marriottvacationclub.com