Australia’s largest hotel operator, Accor and Greening Australia have announced a new agreement that will see more than 50,000 trees planted over five years across Australia.
As part of Accor’s Plant for the Planet program, trees will be planted to support several of Greening Australia’s large scale restoration projects across the country.
Accor Pacific boss Simon McGrath said through the group’s sustainable development program, Planet 21, Accor is deepening its focus on preserving the ecosystems in which its hotels operate. Plant for the Planet is a global reforestation initiative within Planet 21.
“Through our partnership with Greening Australia we are putting large scale landscape restoration, and people and wildlife thriving together as a top priority for our organisation as we strive to leave our planet in good health for generations of hoteliers and guests to come.”
Simon McGrath, Accor Pacific chief operating officer
Three Australian landscape restoration projects set to receive a significant boost thanks to the partnership between Greening Australia and Accor hotels include:
Peel Biolinks – A biodiversity hotspot on the edge of the Perth Metropolitan area. Many plant and animal species are under threat from increasing population pressures, associated land use and a reduction in rainfall due to a shifting climate. Trees planted in the Biolink will aid vegetation and conservation within the fragmented landscape to maintain and improve the broader ecosystem across the region.
Habitat 141 – a fifty year project to restore and reconnect the iconic landscapes along the 141º longitude. This biodiversity hotspot stretches from the wild coast of South Australia, along the Victorian border, and up to the rugged rangelands of New South Wales.
Cumberland Plain Woodland – critically endangered grassy woodland in the north-west basin of Sydney. With less than 8 per cent remaining and situated in Australia’s most populated region, the Cumberland Plain Woodland and its 300 native plant varieties and other threatened and endangered species are at serious risk of disappearing.
It is the small actions taken by Accor Hotels that help contribute to the important restorative environmental work carried out by Greening Australia, and guests can play an active role too. Hotel guests who re-use their towels and bed linen for more than one night help to conserve water and energy consumption, and these combined efforts can make a big difference.
In addition to supporting homegrown projects, globally Accor has made a commitment to the United Nations Environment Program’s Plant for the Planet Billion Tree campaign. Around four million trees have been planted by Accor hotels to date. Members of Accor’s loyalty program LeClub Accorhotels can contribute to reforestation in Peruvian Amazonia. In exchange for 2,000 LeClub Accorhotels member points, guests can enable eight trees to be planted to support the Alto Huayabamba reforestation project.