Sustainability
Located in the spectacular and pristine alpine environment of British Columbia’s Coast Mountain Range, Fairmont Chateau is committed to environmental stewardship. Through our onsite Sustainability Committee projects and Accor’s industry-leading environmental initiatives, we are working to preserve the beauty of Whistler for future generations. As environmental stewards, our initiatives align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as outlined below, reflecting our commitment to global sustainability.
For the 2024 spring/summer season, we have welcomed 30,000 pollinator bees to be based on the rooftop of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Creating a space for these bees will further promote biodiversity among the Whistler Upper Village area and further encourage environmental health. Our friends at Ensure Hive Future will be tending to the bees on a weekly basis as well as looking after the harvesting of the honey.
Orbisk, a smart camera connected to a scale, has transformed the way the chateau’s chefs tackle food waste. By simply snapping a photo, Orbisk’s AI technology instantly identifies food waste, empowering the culinary team with valuable insights to help streamline operations and reduce food waste. From tracking trends to optimizing culinary practices, Orbisk is revolutionizing culinary efficiencies and is the ultimate ally against food waste. This exciting technology is also in place at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and Fairmont Banff Springs.
Leftover soap, hygiene products, linens and lost and found items that would otherwise be discarded from guest rooms are donated to the Soap for Hope Canada, which processes and distributes amenities to community facilities serving vulnerable individuals throughout Canada and impoverished nations around the globe. The Lodge is proudly active as a caring community partner. In 2021 alone, Soap for Hope distributed over 16,000 Hygiene kits and over 342,000 essential hygiene products and linens.
Plastic is a major issue in the hospitality industry. Accor acknowledged this issue and all properties have eliminated all non-essential single-use plastic items from the guest experience. Now, any guest staying at an Accor property can be at ease knowing that their stay does not generate unnecessary plastic waste. All hotels are continuing to phase out single-use plastic items from internal operations until all properties are plastic-free by 2030.
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Our culinary team is delighted to serve local, organic and/or sustainable menu items whenever possible. Fairmont Chateau Whistler also participates in the Ocean Wise sustainability food program.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler is proud to have 22 vehicle charging stations in the parkade for guests to use. Unlike many hydrocarbon-based electric grids, 87% of the British Columbia’s grid is powered by hydroelectricity, providing a sustainable energy experience for sustainability-focused guests visiting the hotel.
Chateau Whistler first received its certification from Green Key Global’s Eco-Rating Program in 2017 and achieved 5 Green Keys in 2018. The hotel is proud to have successfully renewed this certification annually every year since.
Green Key Global has recognized our accomplishments in environmental management and corporate social responsibility. It also identified us as a hotel that exemplifies the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility throughout all areas of operations.
Cutting edge technologies, policies and programs that set the international standard for sustainable hotel operations. We will continue to work with Green Key Global to leverage our organizational corporate social responsibility activities and sustainable initiatives across the property to reduce our carbon footprint. To learn more about the program, please visit their website.
To conserve energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions, Fairmont Chateau Whistler has introduced LED light bulbs throughout the hotel.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler is proud to cover all major recycling streams as well as a variety of innovative speciality recycling partnerships including shipping pallets, tires, propane cylinders, soap, mattresses, cooking oil and Nespresso pods.
The hotel actively purchases environmentally friendly to-go cups, containers and utensils for our dining venues. We have proudly eliminated the use of plastic water bottles in all guest rooms.
Accor’s Net-Zero Carbon Calculator helps Meeting & Event clients to calculate their carbon footprint and offset emissions by purchasing carbon credits to balance the remaining emissions. The solution is provided in collaboration with myclimate.org, a Swiss non-profit organization and global leader in carbon accounting and climate protection.
Recently, Fairmont Chateau Whistler renovated 300+ guest bathrooms across the property. All of the renovated bathrooms were retrofitted with certified low-flow sink faucets, toilets, and showerheads. The installation of low-flow fixtures helps the resort to dramatically reduce water consumption without compromising the comfort of our guests.
We are thankful to have some of the cleanest drinking water in the entire world right here in Whistler.
Whistler drinking water comes from alpine snow that melts into lakes and streams and replenishes the groundwater. When the alpine water is cloudy, water is sourced from thirteen groundwater wells.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) focuses on source water protection so that the treatment of source water is effective. Once the water is treated, it enters the reservoir, which is kept full to ensure Whistler always has enough water in case of fire.
Whistler’s water then travels from the reservoir through a pipe network straight to our property for guests and staff to enjoy!
Whistler’s water system is sophisticated and has many measures in place to ensure its safety. The operation, maintenance, and capital replacement of the system is funded by the Water Utility Fund.
We have a dedicated Sustainability Committee chaired by a sustainability champion who leads the implementation of the various initiatives across the property. The sustainability committees identify areas of improvement, discuss strategies to solve issues, and engages the hotel in sustainability through innovative events and programming.
