Today, Marriott launched an exciting new program that allows our guests to “green” their hotel stays with us. Did you know that most of your basic day-to-day functions, like turning a light switch on and off, release harmful greenhouse gas emissions into the earth’s atmosphere, which contributes to global warming? Well, we have calculated the average greenhouse gases emitted from a one night stay in Marriott hotels, including Courtyards, and developed a way for our guests to offset these emissions created during their stay.

Marriott has been working with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation to help protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest in The Juma Sustainable Development Reserve in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. And now, you, our guests, can help too. For as little as US$10, or US$1 a day for 10 days, you can offset the greenhouses gases generated and emitted during your stay by helping to protect this rainforest.

Rainforests are like the lungs of the earth and help to breathe in the carbon that is released into the air from our greenhouse gas emissions. If we do not help protect this rainforest, more than 60 percent of it will be lost to illegal deforestation by 2050, which will result in 4 million tons of carbon being released into the atmosphere in the first 10 years alone.

This is a really important new initiative for Marriott and all our brands. I hope you’ll check out our site where you can make your contribution to help protect the rainforest in the Juma Reserve. I’ve also included a video below, as well as some pictures from a trip some Marriott associates recently made to Juma. And, you can keep up to date with all of Marriott’s green practices through our Marriott Green Twitter site, as well as learn how to Travel Green on Facebook.

Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go – and the earth a little greener.

Brian