The Hilton Atlanta has taken a proactive approach to reducing their environmental footprint. Outside of the commonly used recycling programs, the Hilton Atlanta has enlisted the help of their employees to really make a difference. In the employee cafeteria, team members habitually dispose their food and paper waste into designated containers for compost and recycling. The housekeeping staff makes water and energy conservation a priority by washing linen upon request and turning off lights in rooms not in use. In the meeting rooms, the banquets staff supplies recycled paper products for meetings and events. Plus, behind the scenes the hotel sales and events teams make use of “green” paperless tools, such as e-proposals and POGs.

• Does Hilton Atlanta have a recycling program?

o Yes. We have a food recycling program partnership with the Close Loop Organic Company in which we                                     compost our food waste.

o We also recycle all cardboard products used in the hotel. This includes boxes, cartons, crates, to-go cartons, etc. All used cardboard products is placed on the back dock in a mass storage bin and transported to a recycling center.

• Is there a linen/towel reuse option that is communicated to guests?

o Yes. The “Recycling Card” indicates that the bedding linens will be cleaned every 3 days and at checkout, but allows the guest to opt for daily change by indicating their desire for this service by placing the “Recycling Card” on the pillow. The guest places the recycling card on the pillow, and as the card instructs, the guest’s wishes must be followed and the linens changed.

• Do guests have easy access to public transportation or shuttle services?

o Yes. We are one block from the MARTA station. Marta is the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. We also are in close proximity to rental car agencies that offer hybrid rental vehicles.

• Are lights and air conditioning turned off when rooms are not in use? If so, how do you ensure this?

o It is hotel policy that all meeting room lights are turned off when not in use. This is ensured by the Hilton Atlanta hotel team taking initiative to ensure lights are off in meeting rooms not in use.

• Are there bulk dispensers or reusable containers for beverages, food and condiments?

o Yes. In our Main Kitchen, Pastry Kitchen, and Employee Cafeteria, Hilton Atlanta provides bulk dispensers and reusable containers for beverages, food and condiments.

• Are there reusable serving utensils, napkins and tablecloths when food and beverages are served?

o Yes. In each of our dining outlets, linen napkins, silverware and tablecloths are used when food and beverages are served. During each of our meetings and conference dinners and banquets, reusable items are also used.

• Does Hilton Atlanta have an energy efficiency program?

o Yes. Our energy efficiency program consists of Hilton Atlanta using energy efficient light bulbs throughout the building. The lighting provides bright, warm light but uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting, produce 75 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer.

• Do you have a water conservation program?

o Yes. The “Recycling Card” indicates that the bedding linens will be cleaned every 3 days and at checkout, but allows the guest to opt for daily change by indicating their desire for this service by placing the “Recycling Card” on the pillow. This conserves water because the linens are not being washed everyday.

• Does your hotel provide guests with paperless check-in & check-out?

o Yes. We have a self-serve kiosk located in the main lobby for check-in and check-out.

• Does your hotel use recycled or recyclable products? Please describe.

o Yes. We use recycled paper products, eco-smart coffee cups in meetings and recycled to-go boxes. We also have a Starbucks on-site which is a corporation that uses recycled products in all of their food packaging for coffee cups. We are proud to have Starbucks on-site as they won a National Recycling Coalition Recycling Works Award because of their major contributions to the environment.

• Do you provide training to your employees on these green initiatives? Please describe.

o Yes. Each hotel department in trained and informed about the hotel’s green initiatives and each team member is encouraged to communicate with the hotel’s operation team to find new ways to conserve energy in throughout the hotel.

• What other environmental initiatives have you undertaken, including any environment-related certifications you possess, EPA voluntary partnerships in which you participate, support of a green suppliers network, or other initiatives?

o The team is committed to using as much electronic communication as possible to conserve paper.

o Hilton Hotels Corporation has provided “green” tools such as e-proposals, POGs (Private Online Group Webpage) and e-events booking systems which can be used online to conserve paper.

o Hilton Atlanta is proud to participate in and host several charity events that benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank which is a non-profit organization that delivers over 22 million pounds of food and groceries a year to a variety of people in need.

• Does Hilton Atlanta have any “Green Meeting” practices?

o For meetings with 50 people or less, guests are provided with eco-pens and recycling bins for the meeting.

Hilton Atlanta is an industry member of the Convene Green Alliance.

Visit www.convenegreen.com.

ATLANTA (April 15, 2011)— Hazardous waste lurks in about everyone’s house but few of us know what to do with it.  Most people don’t think about how to responsibly dispose of or recycle all of the electronics, paint, pesticides and batteries collecting dust in their garages.  Fortunately there is a group called Live Thrive who makes it their mission to educate and organize people in protecting the environmental health of their communities.

“There are so few places to take hazardous waste, that’s why it’s important have events where people can take all the stuff they collect and don’t know what do with,” explained Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe, Executive Director of Live Thrive.  “It’s a good feeling knowing that this waste isn’t going into our landfills and eventually into someone’s drinking water.”

So far Live Thrive has organized three very successful events in the Atlanta area, diverting over 170,000 pounds of hazardous waste from local landfills.  All events were sponsored by Atlanta City Council members. Carla Smith supported a collection at her annual Earth Day event and Howard Shook and Yolanda Adrean, with help from Livable Buckhead, sponsored the Buckhead Eco Collection.

“The public response has been so strong that we’ve had to turn people away,” admitted Peggy.  “Responsibly disposing hazardous waste is expensive, that’s why our sponsors are so important.”

With just three events Live Thrive has collected 77,000 lbs of paint, 83,066 lbs of electronics, 6000 aerosol cans, 825 lbs of hazardous waste, 4,000 lbs pesticides, 2,000 lbs of adhesives, 24 gallons of household batteries, 65 gallons of expired medications and 1640 tires.

Donations to Live Thrive are welcomed.  Live Thrive does much more to educate people about what they can do to support the environment.  They have also managed to raise enough money to supply 22 Idbid Environmental Education Kindergarten kits to Atlanta Area schools, generated $1000 for the Georgia Tech Solar Jackets, assisted in donations of 520 gallons of paint to City of Atlanta residence for graffiti cleanup and helped build a 12 foot Dragon from plastic bottles to show the impact of not recycling.

About Live Thrive

Live Thrive is a 501C3 organization.  Its vision is to create a community that cares about a healthy environment.  Live Thrive’s mission is to bring people together to share opportunities and resources that make a positive impact on the environment.  Learn more at www.livethrive.org

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Media Contact

Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe

Live Thrive began with a small group of people with big ideas to help make communities clean, safe, healthy and prosperous.  So, you may be asking yourself, what have we been up to for the last few months?

After the success of our blog on Living Green Pages, Live Thrive wanted to expand our mission.  We wanted to do more than simply report your good works; we wanted to create a means to actively support them. We have been deeply inspired by the innovative projects we’ve encountered through the Live Thrive blog, and we figured that the best way to celebrate and support your initiatives is to connect your ideas to the resources that can help them thrive.

We are thrilled to announce the new and improved Live Thrive…

In December 2010, Live Thrive merged with Living Green pages, expanding from blog to 501c3 non-profit organization.  We have created a new website, www.livethrive.org, which aims to raise awareness and money for environment-focused education and community projects in your area.  So in essence, we are much more than just a blog or a website.  Live Thrive is an online platform that connects you with the initiatives that you care about and provides you with an opportunity to contribute to their mission.

So please take a look around our new site.  Get familiar with some of the projects that inspire us, and let us know what you think of our new look.  Friend us on facebook, and follow us on twitter!  Email us ideas about other projects that we should know about, or share the site with someone you know.  Our new website is for you, and we’d love to hear what you think.

We’d like to thank our loyal fan base for your continued support.  We hope that you will donate or volunteer your time to the causes that inspire you and improve your community.

College mascots take the field to promote energy efficiency, new Facebook page!!

Buzz from Georgia Tech, Hairy Dawg from the University of Georgia and Pounce from Georgia State University have joined the Georgia Power energy efficiency team to promote ways to save money and energy to college and high school students. The unlikely trio teamed up for the first time in an entertaining video showcasing energy-saving tips and featuring the football announcers from each school. The video is part of a grassroots marketing campaign developed to promote the company’s newest Facebook page, Campus Energy from Georgia Power. The page will be a place where high school and college students can post information about what they and their schools are doing to save energy. “Today’s high school and college students are interested in helping the environment and saving energy,” said Dean Harless, energy efficiency manager. “We want to provide them with the right tools to help them. As future Georgia Power customers, it is important they learn good energy-saving habits.” The new page is part of an effort to reach a younger audience than the company traditionally targets with its energy efficiency advertising. The company chose Facebook because of its popularity with high school and college students. “Georgia Power is already working with schools and colleges throughout the state to help them reduce their energy consumption,” Harless said. “The new page allows us to take the next step, which is to create a dialogue with the students on what they can do to make a difference.” Georgia Power is partnering with the American Marketing Association (AMA) to promote the new site through programs already in place at both the college and high school levels. The AMA will work through its college chapters in Georgia to reach college students and through its partnership with DECA marketing clubs in high schools to engage high school students. The various student chapters will develop marketing plans to promote the site to students at their schools. “Working with a major company like Georgia Power is a huge opportunity for our college AMA members and DECA students, and will give them real-world marketing experience,” said Moira Vetter, president of AMA Atlanta. “Green initiatives like energy efficiency are a hot topic with today’s students. Plus, we get to showcase what students are already doing.” Visit the Campus Energy Facebook page and view the video featuring Buzz, Hairy Dawg and Pounce.