The Refinishing Touch Blog

Hong Kong, one of the world's biggest financial centers, attracts an estimated 30 million travelers each year as part of a thriving hospitality industry. A huge urban center, Hong Kong is not necessarily considered a green place.

However, amidst the bustle of the most densely populated city in the world are signs of green life. Two major Hong Kong hotels have earned significant sustainability accolades. The hotels, the Eaton and the InterContinental, both in downtown Kowloon, each received certification from Green Globe, a program managed by EC3 Global.

The Eaton Hong Kong in downtown Kowloon earned a Green Globe Benchmark Bronze award, hiring a full time environmental manager to ensure the hotel maintains green standards. To date the hotel has earned best practice ratings in energy consumption, potable water consumption, water savings rating, community contributions and pesticide products ratings.

The InterContinental received Silver Certification, ensuring that its staff complies with Green Globe standards in energy and water conservation, harmful substances management, solid waste management and green purchasing. Like the Eaton, the InterContinental has committed to sustainability on a staff level, forming a Green Globe Committee of representatives from major departments, and appointing Green Globe Ambassadors to help other workers follow procedures.

To paraphrase a Hong Kong proverb: 'As long as we have hope, we have direction, the energy to move, and the map to move by. We have a hundred alternatives, a thousand paths and an infinity of dreams. Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go; hopeless, we are lost forever."

Hong Kong is headed in the right direction as its hotels embrace green practices. Hope must not be in short supply.