This Sunday, we celebrate Earth Day; A day dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging action toward greater environmental responsibility. But here at IRP, we understand it takes more than one day a year to build and sustain environmentally responsible policy.
While we continue to learn and grow, we’re proud of these small but meaningful steps we take throughout the year to cultivate an environmentally responsible culture for ourselves and our business partners.
We Reuse & Recycle
While we have always practiced recycling at our In-Room Plus headquarters, we have moved away from disposable paper products to reusable silverware and dishes (and most importantly, coffee mugs) to reduce our footprint that much more. In addition, much of our packaging is recyclable or reusable, and our boxes are made from recycled materials and use soy-based inks.
We Partner To Reduce Waste
Working with a vendor that doesn’t require you to purchase more minibar product than you need just to meet contractual obligations is key to reducing your own waste. We can advise you on your inventory to make sure you are stocking exactly what you need, and no more.
We Donate Leftover Food Product
To give back to our local community, leftover product is donated to Buffalo City Mission. We would much rather our excess go to those in need than in a landfill.
We Buy Local
Our emphasis on local vendors reduces the need for excess fuel or packaging used during shipping. Buffalo-based Renew Bath & Body provides sustainably-sourced skincare and other personal hygiene products for some of our kits and our ongoing Roswell Park Cancer Institute project. In addition, many of our nuts are roasted right down the street by Nut-tos and are still warm when we get the boxes in! Talk about fresh!
We Like To Go Au Naturel
Tom, owner and operator of Renew Bath and Body, explains that "Everything in the shop is natural, mostly vegan products, other than honey, and we make sure the lines are being responsible when sourcing the ingredients." Renew values brands that are sulfate, paraben, and animal by-product free, as well as ethically packaged.
We Partner To Reduce Environmental Footprints
We love to partner with hotels who are also actively working toward reducing their environmental footprint. For instance, Kimpton Hotels boasts a well-rounded environmental initiative, being certified portfolio-wide by the Green Key Eco-Rating Program as well as participating in TripAdvisor's GreenLeaders™ program. In 2011, Four Seasons launched 10 Million Trees, marking their long-term commitment to planting 10 million trees worldwide, as well as to raise awareness, educate, and conserve.
If you're looking for ways to make your minibar more sustainable, check out our previous post about ways to reduce your minibar footprint, and share your favorite small but meaningful ways to celebrate Earth Day every day!
