HONOLULU, March 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Embassy Suites by Hilton Oahu Kapolei has partnered with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) and Legacy Carbon LLC to provide its guests with a carbon neutral guest experience that is uniquely Hawaiian. Through the planting and sponsorship of Hawaiian Legacy Trees, guests will enjoy their Embassy Suites experience knowing that they have left no carbon footprint in the islands.
The entire guest stay is carbon neutral through the planting and electronic tracking of more than 550,000 native and endemic Hawaiian trees. This Gold Standard Certified carbon project has produced some of the highest-quality carbon offsets in the world and is the first Gold Standard certified reforestation project in North America and the only certified carbon project of any kind in the state of Hawaii. A recently released video by tree planting partners, HEI Foundation’s Project Footprint, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtQEsUAwWIQ provides a better perspective of how big this forest has grown in just a few years.
“It is so important that we ‘malama the aina’ and this partnership has helped our guests to connect to the land and the culture of Hawaii”, said Reid Yoshida, General Manager of Embassy Suites. “Guests now have the opportunity to become part of Hawaii’s rich cultural history by giving back to the islands and planting their own Legacy Tree. Perhaps the greatest memento of their visit to Hawaii won’t be what they take with them, but what they leave behind—a living legacy. We see an unmistakable trend in the hospitality industry to support this movement. Perhaps one day, we will all be able to say that when you stay in Hawaii, the only footprints you leave will be on the beach.”
HLRI has already planted more than 1,200 acres of forest (endemic koa, ohia, milo, kou, wiliwili, sandalwood, and other species) in the first-of-its-kind Hawaiian Legacy Forest that will sequester more than a quarter million tons of CO2 over the next 50 years. Each tree is RFID geo-tagged and can be individually tracked throughout its lifetime by the tree sponsor on HLRI’s TreeTracker.
“Often, it is the small changes enacted by many which have the greatest impact. Together, with the help of many individuals and organizations, we have created a new economic engine, which restores forests, creates permanent green jobs, is carbon negative, and supports the Hawaiian culture,” said Jeff Dunster, Executive Director of HLRI. “Embassy Suites is setting an example for the hospitality industry and showing us how people can use the power of business and innovation to solve real world problems and create solutions that are extremely effective in real world application.”
About HLRI: Through state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies, HLRI works with landowners and conservation partners to establish and preserve economically viable and sustainable endemic Hawaiian forests, protect endangered species, sequester carbon, and recharge watersheds. HLRI’s Legacy Trees are sponsored by businesses and individuals, with a portion of proceeds donated to other charities worldwide. For more, visit LegacyTrees.org.
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