The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park will celebrate Community Connections Week from Sept. 15-21, by partnering with the Grant Park Conservancy for a Grant Park cleanup day on Sept. 19.
Open to guests, locals and Fairmont colleagues, the cleanup day will include mulching trees, pulling weeds and picking up garbage in support of the Grant Park Conservancy’s mission to preserve and protect the park. The hotel will also celebrate Community Connections Week with a special “Green Goose” cocktail at aria bar.
As part of a company-wide initiative during September, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will pitch in, whether it is volunteering at a shelter, highlighting the preservation of a threatened species like bees, raising funds for at-risk children or lending a helping hand to improve facilities for the elderly at participating locations. Hotel guests can also get involved from donating money or purchasing special menu offerings to participating in a beach clean-up.
“At Fairmont, we are continually seeking out innovative ways to support and give back to our local communities — a pledge that our hotel colleagues value and actively play a part in,” Jennifer Fox, president, Fairmont Chicago. “It’s simply part of our ongoing commitment to good corporate citizenship.”
On Sept. 20, colleagues of The Fairmont Olympic, Seattle will be working with The Pike Place Market Foundation to transform the market’s Food Bank and Seniors Center with a fresh coat of paint, ensuring this city landmark remains a vibrant and clean place for the entire community. The Fairmont Battery Wharf will partner with The Greater Boston Food Bank to hold a food drive at the hotel until Sept.18, and hotel colleagues will volunteer at the Food Bank, sorting and packaging donated food.
The Fairmont Copley Plaza will participate in St. Francis House’s “High Five to Help the Homeless” program by providing five colleagues for five volunteer hours, offering services to guests at the shelter. The Fairmont Dallas has partnered with Hearts & Hammers, and hotel colleagues will assist with home repairs for a senior citizen in need, ensuring that the property is functional and in compliance with local safety codes. The project will take place from Sept. 14-21 and will include painting, landscaping, cleaning, replacing wood panels, installing a staircase handrail, repairing doors and heating system repairs.
Outside of Community Connections Week, the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park regularly works to reduce its ecological footprint by donating unused food items, toiletry items, paints, bedding and furniture to the Little Bit of Heaven homeless shelter multiple times each week. The hotel makes an effort in terms of engineering to be environmentally conscious from low VOC paint, energy-efficient lighting, programmable thermostats and occupancy sensors.
It also practices recycling, repurposing sheets and reducing the water used daily to wash towels and bedding by asking guests to reuse towels. Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park holds the Green Key certification from the Canadian Automobile Association, the Green Seal, which is an independent, science-based non-profit certification body, the PLANET Environmental Improvement Distinction award, and is an Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association Stay Green Program member.
Additionally, the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park has a food waste digester that breaks down all food waste via microorganisms into gray water, equivalent to 60,000 lbs. of food a year. The hotel’s environmental conservation program has garnered successful results with the participation of both its entire staff and guests. In the past year, 135 tons of material (equaling 300 cubic yards) has been recycled; approximately 270 trees have been saved; and over 30 tons of food has been composted.
