Through the Audubon Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program, Marriott Vacation Club, will have "greened" all 43 of its resorts in North America and the Caribbean by next year. To achieve a Green Leaf rating of one to five "Green Leafs", an environmental checklist is consulted and a verification audit is conducted, based on the resort's having met requirements for water quality, water conservation, waste minimization, resource conservation and energy efficiency.
Currently, 28 of Marriott's signature timeshare resorts are enrolled as part of its Spirit To Preserve environmental strategy that includes the cerfication of 300 LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) hotels by 2015. Within North America and the Caribbean, the brand received 696,000 in 2009 with an average occupancy of over 90 percent.
Fred Realbuto, director of U.S. Green Leaf Operations at Audubon International, said, "We're pleased to have Marriott Vacation Club work with us to better protect and sustain our land, water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Our program is unique in that it is international in scope, uses a standardized process for evaluating environmental performance, provides environmental education and conducts visits to verify eco-rated practices."
Visit www.marriottvacationclub.com.