Melanie Coates, Chair of the Green Team at The Fairmont Royal York, made a stop at 98.1 CHFI to chat with Mike Cooper and Erin Davis about Earth Hour. Listen to the interview or download to your desktop.
[podcast]http://radioroyalyork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/earth_hour_royal_york.mp3[/podcast]
Right click and download the MP3: Melanie Coates Chats with Mike Cooper and Erin Davis
Sustainable seafood purchasing practices are now fully implemented across all 56 hotels in the Fairmont chain. In February 2008, The Fairmont Palliser in Calgary was certified by Vancouver’s Ocean Wise program, which aims to eliminate the consumption of endangered fish options. Here in Toronto, The Fairmont Royal York followed suit with its Ocean Wise certification, in September of 2008. Sustainable seafood options are now available with the Ocean Wise icon at two Fairmont restaurants in Central Canada: The Fairmont Palliser’s Rimrock restaurant and The Fairmont Royal York’s EPIC restaurant.
From coast to coast, the combined efforts of The Fairmont Palliser’s Executive Chef Greg Van Poppel, originally from B.C.’s Pacific Coast, and The Fairmont Royal York’s Executive Chef David Garcelon, of New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy, are influencing regional purchasing practices, environmental impact and the impact on consumers’ health. “Every seafood item on The Fairmont Palliser’s Rimrock restaurant menu is Ocean Wise certified, from the tuna to the shrimp,” says Chef Van Poppel.
Chef Van Poppel has switched from Ahi Tuna to B.C. Albacore and from Artic sea scallops to diver-harvested sea scallops from Mexico’s Baja. Chef Garcelon has collaborated with EPIC restaurant chef, Ryan Gustafson to remove endangered fish options, such as Orange Roughey and Shark, from EPIC restaurant’s dining menu.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to ocean sustainability means working with reputable suppliers who purchase fish that are resilient to fishing pressure and harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats. Specifically, Fairmont has identified two seafood choices that are most at risk – and has eliminated them from its food service operations. They include: Chilean Sea Bass and Bluefin Tuna. In addition, by promoting awareness and sustainable alternatives among its guests, Fairmont will play a role in influencing and shaping the tastes and preferences of guests who care about the future of the planet.
Stay tuned for our April podcast, when we talk to Chef Ryan Gustafson from EPIC Restaurant and Mike McDermid of Ocean Wise.
At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2009 all of Toronto will join over 1000 cities worldwide in darkness for sixty minutes in honour of Earth Hour. Guests of The Fairmont Royal York hotel will have a chance to “green” it up by checking in by candlelight while enjoying a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) resident’s rate of $99 (exclusive of taxes, based on single or double occupancy). This great Toronto hotel deal is being offered to any guest with valid GTA identification for all available Fairmont Rooms on Friday, March 27 through to Sunday, March 29,2009.
The Fairmont Royal York has one of the Toronto skyline’s most prominent neon signs. It will be turned off for this global event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Inside, members of the hotel’s “Green Team” will dim the lobby lights and light the grand candelabras and tea lights that will be on display throughout the hotel. Hotel guests are also encouraged to visit the candlelit pool and join in by turning the lights out in their guest rooms.
Throughout the Earth Hour evening, The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar welcomes lounging guests to candlelight service and a special Earth Hour drink menu created just for this year’s cause: the Polar Cap, a cool drink in a highball glass; the Organic Globe, an icewine martini; and the controversial Carbon Footprint.
On Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., The Fairmont Royal York joins all 56 other Fairmont world-class hotels and resorts from Dallas to Dubai will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour – EARTH HOUR– and in doing so will reinforce the company’s pioneering commitment to operational sustainability and help draw further attention to one of the world’s single largest environmental issues: climate change.
For more information on the GTA resident’s rate call 1 (866) 540-4489.
One of the Toronto skyline’s most prominent neon signs will go dark for sixty minutes on March 29. The occasion will mark the unification of The Fairmont Royal York with an expected 30 million people worldwide as they take a public stand on climate change. The hour of action entitled Earth Hour, is a global event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Hotel guests will have the opportunity to be carbon responsible as they check in by candlelight during Earth Hour, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2009.
In 2008, The Fairmont Royal York was the first Toronto hotel to register its Earth Hour participation. The Library Bar served a capacity crowd of patrons seeking a lounge experience by candlelight. A year later, the lights out experience continues to be so popular that the lounge has gone on to serve cocktails by candlelight every Saturday night. The hotel will again demonstrate its leadership and commitment to environmental responsibility through a series of interior and exterior energy saving initiatives.
Hotel engineer Brian Mosher will extinguish power to The Fairmont Royal York’s signature rooftop sign as the first signal to the team of more than 30 hotel colleagues who will be on duty to ensure that the building’s exterior lights, sconces, display, awning and canopy lights will dim in unison with the other Toronto landmarks participating in Earth Hour. Inside, members of the hotel’s “Green Team” will dim the lobby lights and quickly light the grand candelabras and tea lights that will be on display throughout the hotel. Hotel guests are also encouraged to join in by turning the lights out in their rooms by way of a book mark accompanying their key cards and at the evening “turn down.”
During Earth Hour, The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar welcomes lounging guests to candlelight service and a special Earth Hour drink menu. On the menu are three new limited-edition cocktails, created just for this year’s cause: the Polar Cap, a cool drink in a birdbath snifter; the Organic Globe, an icewine martini; and the controversial Carbon Footprint.
“Lounging by candlelight is a social way to toast the Earth Hour movement,” says Library Bar Manager, Jeff Steen.
The Fairmont Royal York also invites guests to the hotel’s health club where they may swim lengths of the 15 meter pool or unwind in the whirlpool by candlelight. The entire pool area will be illuminated by 100 floating candles. The candlelight swim is offered exclusively to hotel guests from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, 2009.
Instituting the highest possible standards of environmental stewardship is at the heart of the measurable goals The Fairmont Royal York sets for itself. In a company wide challenge the hotel was recently named runner up to The Fairmont Lake Louise as Environmental Hotel of the Year for 2008. As such, the hotel is continually working to find new ways to reduce their energy consumption.
While most Toronto homes draw approximately 24,000 kwh per year, The Fairmont Royal York measures a draw of nearly 2.5 mwh a day to power all of its 34,000 lights. In an effort to reduce energy consumption the hotel has changed its east entrance canopy lights to 3 watt bulbs. The bulbs will now last 4000 hours and save 32,236 kwh a year. The hotel has switched over 7000 incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, saving 712,500 kwh annually. Over 75% of the 1,365 rooms have compact fluorescent bulbs. All of the hotel’s meeting rooms have dimmers and many have motion sensors. Lighting now accounts for only 5% of the hotel’s energy draw. Increasing the energy efficiency of hotel lights is just one portion of the hotel’s environmental efforts. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has an ongoing commitment to energy conservation, waste management, water conservation and responsible purchasing.
On Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., all 56 of Fairmont’s world-class hotels and resorts from Dallas to Dubai will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – and in doing so will reinforce the company’s pioneering commitment to operational sustainability and help draw further attention to one of the world’s single largest environmental issues: climate change.
Guests of The Fairmont Royal York will be going underground during this March Break. The hotel, in partnership with Mr. Phil Reilly, urban explorer and storyteller, is offering an overnight stay and an underground walking tour that will turn art and architecture admirers into Toronto PATH enthusiasts. The overnight Underground Safari Package is available for $199 on the first three Friday and Saturday nights of March 2009. The Underground Safari tours take place on Saturday March 7, Saturday March 14 and Saturday March 21, 2009 and run from 1:30 pm through to 4:00 pm.
The Underground Safari Package features one night in a Fairmont room and a walking tour that explores the public art and architecture of Toronto’s underground PATH system. Safari guests are escorted from the hotel lobby at 1:30 pm to the Toronto Transit subway system and onto Metro Hall as the first point of the tour. The entire Safari spans a majority of the PATH’s southern portion and runs under nearly 10 city blocks of the 27 km long path system. The PATH was established in 1900 and its real growth began in the 1970s by linking the Richmond-Adelaide Centre with surrounding shopping centres and businesses. According to Guinness World Records, the PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world.
The Underground Safari will appeal to inquisitive teens and adventurous adults. The tour’s artistic highlights begin at Lexier’s “Synopsis of Categories” sculpture at Metro Hall and moves on to great architecture and unique gardens at Roy Thompson Hall. Guests will visit a number of different sites along the PATH on their way through to First Canadian Place, Canada’s tallest office tower. From there, guests will wander through and explore the role of tapestry in the world of fine art. Another stop on the Safari is the neighbouring Toronto-Dominion tower and its Inuit Art Gallery. The final highlight is The Fairmont Royal York hotel where architecture meets empire and the walls seem steeped in the great myths of Canada. The tour concludes at The Library Bar of The Fairmont Royal York where a complimentary beverage will be offered to each guest.
“After researching the walk, I decided that The Fairmont Royal York is an excellent place to conclude the safari. Not only is it a cornerstone of Toronto’s heritage, but it also has much to offer in the world of art and architecture,” says tour creator Phil Reilly.
The Underground Safari Package is $199, exclusive of taxes and includes:
* One night in a Fairmont room, based on double occupancy
* Walking tour exploring Toronto’s underground PATH system
* Complimentary beverage (coffee, tea, soda, domestic beer or wine) at The Library Bar
For tickets or more information on the Winter Art-chitecture Safari, email Phil Reilly at safari@webnetics.com and for more information on The Fairmont Royal York’s Underground Safari Package call (416) 368-2511 or 1-866-540-4489.
