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InterContinental
Chicago
505 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago IL 60611
USA
Main/General Inquiries:
(312) 944-4100
Reservations: (800) 628-2112
Meetings & Banquets:
(312) 321-8706
Weddings: (312)321-8735
Fax: +1 312 944 1320
Erin Jesse erin.jesse@ihg.com
Lizette Marin lizette.marin@ihg.com |
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What WE are doing |
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InterContinental Chicago's Commitment:
We, the staff and leadership of InterContinental Chicago, are committed to doing our part to preserve our
most precious of resources - the world we share. We will strive to create harmony between our
environmental responsibility and our financial responsibility to our owners. We believe this balance
is essential to sustain prosperity.
Our commitment will be visible by our actions. We will....
 Continuously Improve our
environmental performance through development of best
practices, training and recognition of excellence
Innovate and use technology
to conserve energy
Reduce the waste we produce
Recycle the waste we produce
Take action to become carbon
neutral
Purchase locally sourced products
to reduce fuel waste to transport
Purchase sustainable, non-toxic
products wherever possible
Promote effective environmental
management by our suppliers and contractors
Integrate environmental
responsibility into daily operations and decision-making
We are united in working together to contribute to the prosperity of humanity and the protection of the
world we share.
Current examples of InterContinental Chicago's commitment in action:
Recycling
Hotel has a recycling program
for hotel waste (recycling paper, plastic, aluminum cans, cardboard and grease).
Trash is sorted at the hotel loading dock and again at our
material recycling facility vendor.
Paper Recycling program initiated
with separation of recyclable paper in all offices
Hotel has a battery and light
bulb recycling program (also available for employee personal use)
Energy and Resource Management
Hotel purchases 'Green Sustainable
Energy Credits' for 50% of the energy it utilizes annually.
Hotel has installed a system with
automated motion detection to conserve energy from
lighting and HVAC when guest rooms are not occupied.
Energy efficient light bulbs have
been installed where possible throughout the hotel.
Hotel has a towel and sheet
re-use program, changing every three days unless
requested otherwise by guest.
Toilet 'Tummies' have been
installed in all Historic Tower guest rooms to reduce the
amount of water utilized when toilet is flushed.
Aerators have been installed in
all guest room sinks with expectation of reducing water
use by 50%.
Waste Minimization
Housekeeping staff leaves partially
used amenity bottles in guest rooms (new ones
provided but partially used ones not removed).
Hotel uses glass and china (
non-disposable) serving ware with the exception of 'To-Go'
orders for food service. Hotel is currently sourcing vendors and obtaining bids for
recyclable 'To-Go' containers and has committed to replace all food and beverage
'To-Go' serving containers with recyclable materials by November 2007.
Hotel uses cloth napkins wherever
possible and is sourcing napkins made with
recyclable paper for bar and 'To-Go' service.
Hotel donates appropriate table
scraps and leftover food to local farms or composting
sites.
Coreless toilet paper rolls
introduced to reduce cardboard waste
Environmentally responsible purchasing
Hotel is sourcing cleaning
products that do not introduce toxins into the air or water with
commitment to replace existing products that are harmful by November 2007.
Hotel does not use VOC paints
Education and Community
Introduced 'Green Weddings' and
'Green Meetings' options for event planners
Bicycle rental and tours of
Chicago neighborhoods made available to guests
Organic wine available in
ENO
Culinary team purchases local
produce and meats, organic where possible
Seeds distributed for planting
to more than 300 employees
Green Resource Employee Action
Team (GREAT) established
Green Newsletter launched
Future Projects:
Newspaper recycling containers
will be placed on each floor and/or separation containers
placed on our maid carts to improve newspaper recycling in the hotel
Increase our purchase of 'Green
Sustainable Energy Credits' to 100% of energy utilized
Create a Green roof on the
historic tower
Install solar thermal panels
to heat hotel water (one of the greatest sources of energy
use for hotels)
Purchase and install advanced
lighting controls from Lutron
Achieve Energy Star rating for
hotel
Director of Engineering will
achieve LEED certification
Introduce recycling bins in
lobby and public areas for guest use
Identify options for non-toxic
dry cleaning
Develop and introduce a new
'Green Room' guest room concept that is allergen free,
reduces waste and supports a sustained environment.
Guest 'Green'
communication brochure will be developed with 'Green Travel Tips'
Provide secure bike
storage area for our employees
Intercontiental Chicago Becomes FIRST Energy Star Rated Hotel in the Windy City
Chicago, Ill. (May 20, 2008) – As of this month, InterContinental Chicago (505 N. Michigan )
has received an Energy Star award for superior eco-friendly initiatives and highly efficient
energy use. As the first hotel in the city of Chicago to be certified with this sustainability
merit, the InterContinental Chicago stands apart for its commitment to environmentally-friendly travel.
Energy Star ratings are awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S.
Department of Energy. Commonly recognized on household appliances, the rating of energy performance
of commercial and industrial facilities is scored on a 1-100 scale and those facilities that achieve a
score of 75 or higher are eligible for the Energy Star, indicating that they are among the top 25% of
facilities in the country for energy performance. The InterContinental Chicago has been awarded a
rating of 88, indicating it is within the top 12% of energy efficient buildings in the
country. According to EnergyStar.gov, "commercial buildings that have earned the Energy Star
use on average 35% less energy than typical similar buildings and generate one-third less carbon
dioxide."
The InterContinental Chicago's most recent initiatives will include a green roof to be installed this
summer. The hotel is also in the final stages of receiving LEED and Green Seal certification.
Click here to read about The InterContinental Chicago in green lodging news
What OUR city is doing
Chicago - Green City USA
Chicago wants to be the greenest city in America. Over the years, the nation's third-largest
metropolis has been
called many things
("Windy City," "Second City", "City of the Broad Shoulders", to name a few), but for people who don't
live in Chicago, it always comes as a surprise to learn that this massive industrial town has a green
heart.
It wasn't always so.
Chicago's history of stockyards, steel mills, and other heavy industry left scars and toxins on the
landscape. Even worse, the brash, raw energy celebrated in Carl Sandburg's ode to his adopted
hometown seemed to have receded by the late 1980s, leaving the populace tired and gray.
Enter
Richard M. Daley,
the man generally credited with transforming his city into a green capital of the new millennium. Elected mayor
in 1989, Daley (son of the late Richard J. Daley, who held the office for 21 years), started planting trees,
thousands of them every year. In 1992, Daley created the
Department of the Environment
(DOE) and chartered it with protecting human health and the environment, improving the quality of urban life
and promoting economic development.
The 100 scientists, engineers, lawyers, and administrators at the DOE now drive 10 major green
initiatives, from air quality to waste management. In 2003, the Mayor appointed a Special Assistant
for Green Initiatives to bring the DOE into all city agencies, ensuring every department considers the
environmental impact of its activities and investments.
These days, the city is abuzz with environmental activity, with programs focused on rehabilitating
brownfields, protecting the Lake Michigan shoreline, developing a greenhouse gas emissions exchange,
and planting green roofs. The Green Building Agenda alone is a multi-pronged effort that includes the
"greening" of the municipal building code, guidelines for green municipal facilities and new home
construction, and the one-of-a-kind Green Bungalow program, where four classic brownstones were
"greened" to prove what kind of energy savings were possible in older homes. (It ranged from 15 to 49%.)
The range and breadth of green-city projects is breathtaking, and the results are striking. The addition
of 250,000 trees help keep temperatures cooler in the summer and clean the air year-round, while more
than 80 green roofs do the same and also reduce storm water runoff. More than 100 miles of bike lanes
get thousands of commuters out of their cars. Hundreds of community-managed parks and gardens, and
dozens of farmers' markets, help families improve their health and diet. City Hall's green roof alone
saves thousands of dollars in energy costs every year.
Civic leaders want to make Chicago the hub of green manufacturing and design, with special emphasis on
alternative energy, organic food, and sustainable landscaping.
Green Tech
(the Chicago Center for Green Technology) landed these types of businesses as its anchor tenants. Green
Tech is a learning lab for homeowners, business people, architects, and builders to see the latest green
building technologies in action and be taught how to use them.
By looking for environmental impacts and opportunities in every aspect of city governance, Chicago
is earning the right to the "greenest city" title. It's also creating a roadmap other cities can follow
to improve their own ecological and economic health. Two important ingredients to the Windy City's
success: a leader with the vision and clout of Mayor Daley, and the sustained investment of money
and staff to get the job done.
We look forward to having you experience the city of Chicago and the InterContinental Chicago.
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