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Outrigger Hotels and Resorts properties recognized with 2016 Hawaii Green Business Awards

RELEASE NUMBER 42/16

Green Business Award
Four of Outrigger’s Waikiki properties have been honored for their conservation and sustainability efforts

WAIKIKI, HONOLULU, HAWAII – Outrigger Hotels and Resorts announced that four of its Waikiki properties received the state’s prestigious 2016 Hawaii Green Business Award at a ceremony held April 22, 2016, at the Governor’s Office at the Hawaii State Capitol. Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, OHANA Waikiki Malia by Outrigger®, OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger® and Ala Moana Hotel were honored for their deep commitment to operating in an environmentally responsible manner.

“Hawaii’s future depends on our ability to care for our environment, conserve natural resources and incorporate green practices in all aspects of our lives, including the way we do business,” said Gov. David Y. Ige. “Outrigger has made an incredible commitment to sustainability, here in Hawaii and globally, going above and beyond to serve as a model of an environmentally and socially conscious business.”

The Hawaii Green Business Program assists and recognizes businesses that strive to operate in an environmentally, culturally and socially accountable way. This year’s Outrigger award recipients join three other Outrigger and affiliated properties that have been recognized in years past. They are Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (2014), Holiday Inn® Resort Waikiki Beachcomber (2012) and Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk® (2011, 2013 and 2014).

“As a kamaaina company, we feel that it’s our kuleana, or responsibility, to be exceptional hosts and take impeccable care not only of our hotel guests, but also of our island home,” said Bitsy Kelley, vice president of corporate communications, Outrigger Enterprises Group. “From Outrigger’s statewide recycling initiatives and energy-saving solutions to our global OZONE conservation plan to protect our oceans and coral reefs, we’re confident that these collective efforts further our state’s ability to preserve the pristine beauty and natural resources of Hawaii for future generations to enjoy.”

Outrigger has programs in place at its Hawaii properties that focus on conserving energy, reducing water usage, preventing pollution and diverting waste from landfills. Contributing practices include installing LED and CFL lighting, ultra-low flow faucets and timed irrigation systems throughout the property, placing recycling bins in all guest rooms, connecting air conditioning sensors on all lanai doors and providing staff with reusable water bottles.

Over the past seven years, Outrigger properties in Waikiki have collectively recycled more than 354,000 pounds of aluminum, plastic, paper and glass. In 2015, Outrigger donated more than $41,000 of Hi5 redeemable deposits from recyclable containers collected from bins at Outrigger owned or managed resorts to Parents and Children Together (PACT), a local non-profit organization that provides social services to families in need.

Most recently, Outrigger launched a global conservation action plan called OZONE (Outrigger’s Zone), to help preserve the health of coral reefs and oceans surrounding the iconic beach destinations around the world where Outrigger Resorts are located. Outrigger has connected with global partners such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who share in its mission to save our reefs, and together, are working toward an ambitious goal of planting and growing a football-field worth of coral at participating resorts in the next decade.

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