國際旅館業者Marriott和巴西亞馬遜州推出合作計畫，共同保護雨林和減低溫室氣體排放量，減緩砍伐森林所造成的氣候變遷。
Marriott在4月7日簽署一份協定，將和顧客一起資助巴西一個非營利組織：亞馬遜州永續基金會(Amazonas Sustainable Foundation)。
這筆經費將會用於監督和保護面積達140萬英畝Juma永續發展保護區，Juma是巴西一個生物多樣性豐富但面臨森林砍伐危機的區域。
Marriott先投入200萬支持Juma雨林計畫，作為Marriott旅館系統排放溫室氣體的碳補償。Marriott財務總監兼環境委員會主席索倫森(Arne Sorenson)表示：「雨林是地球的肺，保護雨林是改善氣候最重要的一種方式。」
索倫森說：「國際保育組織(Conservation International)和其他環境專家都曾表示，影響全球溫室氣體排放量和氣候變遷的各樣因素中，熱帶雨林的破壞佔20%影響力。」
倘若沒有外力介入，高達62%的Juma雨林在2050年之前會消失於非法砍伐，其結果將在接下來十年產生400萬公噸的二氧化碳，21種靈長類和其他野生生物的棲地將被破壞。
這筆基金會用於支持Juma保留區內2500名居民，他們將協助通報雨林內非法農業和盜伐；還會用於聘請人力和購買器材以監視雨林內的活動、在校內開設教育課程、建設一所醫護機構和社區中心。
亞馬遜州長布拉加(Eduardo Braga)表示：「這個巴西第一個針對森林砍伐的碳補償計畫，在全世界也是頭幾個。」在Marriott消費的個人和團體將可以透過資助這筆基金，付出住旅館的碳補償。
旅館也在顧客線上訂房時，邀請他們捐款給Juma雨林基金，在Marriott住宿十晚的碳補償是美金十元。這些捐款都可以減免稅捐。
2008年，Marriott以「保育之心」的環境政策回應氣候變遷，目標是綠化100億的供應鏈、每間客房減少25%能源和水消耗和2017年之前，在40家旅館裝設太陽能發電。
最近，Marriott總部和位於佛羅里達州奧蘭多的分時渡假部門淘汰超過250萬件泡沫塑料和塑膠製成的器具，換成馬鈴薯、甘蔗和玉米澱粉製成的餐具，全都可以在平均100天內生物分解。
Marriott會選用的環境友善商品還包括用回收塑膠生產的BIC Ecolutions筆、低毒性低揮發性的有機油漆和標準紡織(Standard Textile)出產的免下水毛巾，省掉第一次下水的步驟每年可減少幾百萬加侖用水。
其他列入考慮的產品包括可用作堆肥的鑰匙卡、可回收的地毯和包裝更精簡的肥皂和洗髮乳。
Hotelier Marriott International, Inc. and the Brazilian state of Amazonas are working together to protect endangered rainforest and at the same time protect the climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
Under an agreement signed April 7, Marriott and its customers will contribute to a fund administered by the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, a nonprofit public interest institution in Brazil.
The money will be used to monitor and protect the 1.4 million acre Juma Sustainable Development reserve, an area rich in biodiversity in a high risk deforestation zone.
Marriott has committed an initial $2 million to fund the Juma rainforest project as part of its commitment to offset the climate-warming greenhouse gases emitted by operations at Marriott properties.
"Conserving rainforests, the lungs of the Earth, is one of the most important things we can do to improve the climate," says Chief Financial Officer Arne Sorenson, who co-chairs Marriott's Executive Green Council.
"According to Conservation International and other environmental experts, the destruction of tropical forests contributes 20 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and fuels climate change," he said.
Without this intervention, up to 62 percent of the Juma rainforest would be lost to illegal deforestation activities by 2050, resulting in four million tons of carbon emissions in the first 10 years alone. Habitat for 21 species of primates and other wildlife in the forest would be destroyed.
The new fund also will support 2,500 residents of the Juma reserve who will help protect the rainforest from illegal farming and logging. Contributions will help fund personnel and equipment to monitor and protect the forest, a school and education curriculum, a medical facility and a community center.
"This is the first project on reducing emissions from deforestation in Brazil and one of the first in the world," said Amazonas Governor Eduardo Braga. Marriott guests and group customers will be able to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated from their hotel stays by contributing to this rainforest fund.
Guests are invited to make a donation to the Juma rainforest fund when they make a reservation on Marriott.com. Ten dollars will offset the carbon dioxide emissions for 10 roomnights at Marriott hotels and the donation is tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers.
Last year, Marriott announced its "Spirit To Preserve" environmental strategy to address climate change. Under the plan, Marriott will work towards greening its $10 billion supply chain, reducing fuel and water consumption by 25 percent per available room, and installing solar power at up to 40 hotels by 2017.
Recently, Marriott headquarters, along with its timeshare division based in Orlando, Florida, replaced more than 2.5 million pieces of Styrofoam and plastic utensils with tableware made of potato, sugar cane and cornstarch - all biodegradable within an average of 100 days.
Some of the first environmentally-friendly products Marriott will use are BIC Ecolutions pens made from pre-consumer recycled plastic; paint low in toxic volatile organic compounds; and "room-ready" towels by Standard Textile, which will saves millions of gallons of water annually by eliminating the initial wash cycle.
Other items under consideration include compostable key cards, recyclable carpet, and more responsibly packaged soaps and shampoos.
