Major New York hotels have joined the fight to reduce carbon emissions. Sixteen hotels have undertaken Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYC Carbon Challenge Program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent or more in the next decade, according to CNN, and to reduce the emissions by 80 percent by 2050, according to Realty Today.
"Whether we're talking about universities, hospitals, and offices, or large apartment buildings and hotels, all of New York City has a stake in our fight against climate change," said Mayor de Blasio, according to Real Estate Weekly. "If some of New York's most iconic hotels can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, anyone can. NYC Carbon Challenge participants are joining City government in leading by example through the green retrofits all buildings should make - and that's no small feat."
These new participants, if they fulfill their pledge, will be able to diminish emissions by 32,000 metric tons of carbon and save an estimated $25 million in energy costs, according to Realty Today.
Hospitals, universities and businesses, such as Google and Goldman Sachs, had previously joined the challenge, according to CNN. All current participants constitute over 255 million square feet of New York real estate and are responsible for seven percent of the city's building-based emissions, according to Real Estate Weekly.
The sixteen hotels that have joined the Carbon Challenge are: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge (opening 2016), 1 Hotel Central Park, Crowne Plaza Times Square, Dream Downtown, Grand Hyatt New York, Hotel Pennsylvania, Hudson Hotel, Loews Regency Hotel, Lotte New York Palace, The Pierre-A Taj Hotel, The Peninsula New York, InterContinental New York Barclay, InterContinental New York Times Square, Roger Smith Hotel, Waldorf Astoria New York and the Westin New York at Times Square, according to Real Estate Weekly.
These hotels account for 10 million square feet and more than 11,000 rooms.
