Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa – the first LEED Silver designated resort on Maui – has been re-certified as Gold. The Hyatt, a longtime leader in eco-friendly and sustainable efforts, is the first property in Hawai‘i to be re-certified using the United States Green Building Council’s new ongoing performance platform Arc, a digital tool that measures sustainability performance, from buildings to cities and beyond. The resort is also one of only two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold resorts in the state. When originally certified, the resort was one of only four resorts in the world with this distinction. Hyatt Regency Maui continues to push the envelope by being one of the first resorts worldwide to re-certify for LEED using the new Arc performance method.
“We are all thrilled to be the first and only resort in Hawai‘i to increase the certification level from Silver Level LEED-EBOM to Gold Level LEED-EBOM based on performance metrics,” said Gary Bulson, director of engineering at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. “A core value at the resort is to protect the environment in as many ways as we can from using solar power to minimizing plastic use throughout the property, controlling food waste and more.”
Hyatt Regency Maui has implemented sustainability initiatives in various categories including food and food waste, water, materials and recycling, renewable energy and energy efficiency, ocean and landscape, indoor air quality and green cleaning, staff training and community efforts as well as transportation. The property also features an on-site, self-guided sustainability tour that consists of eight signs strategically placed around the property to educate guests, visitors, and associates alike of these efforts.
Efforts to support the LEED certification includes the Hyatt’s initiative to offer food from natural, local, and sustainable sources, which results in the development of established relationships with local farms. Efforts also are made to minimize food waste through examining portion sizes and then diverting food waste by carefully separating fruit and vegetable trimmings from their kitchen and donating to local pig farms for feed and compost.
The property is working toward a TRUE Zero Waste certification through the USGBC and has increased landfill diversion from 38 percent to 75 percent in the last year. That effort not only requires recycling at the site (about 90 percent of applicable products are recycled) but it also addresses reducing waste through eco-friendly packaging for items shipped to the resort.
Hyatt Regency Maui also has reduced energy use by over 38 percent in the last 12 years. With one of the largest rooftop photovoltaic systems in Hawai‘i, which produces enough power for 2,144 homes for a year, the resort is greatly minimizing its environmental footprint through this effort.
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Image courtesy Hyatt
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