The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte is the first Ritz-Carlton hotel to be built to LEED Gold standards and to achieve LEED Gold certification, and it is committed to respecting the environment through its mindful meeting and event programs. Our Green Meeting initiatives seamlessly incorporate The Ritz-Carlton standards of legendary service, product and ambience while nurturing and protecting nature within the city. To learn more about our Green Meetings and LEED-driven conservation, recycling, materials and operational leadership, please contact the hotel Sales Department at (704) 549-4178.

Sustainable practices at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte include the following:

• The building uses 30% less energy than a conventional hotel by using ultra-efficient materials and the latest construction technology. This applies to meeting spaces, furniture and materials.
• Water usage has been reduced by 33% by instilling high-efficiency Kohler plumbing fixtures, saving two million gallons of water in the first year.
• Air quality is improved by circulating large amounts of outside air into guest rooms at 60 cubic feet per minute.
• Regional vendors and artists were used for materials to reduce transportation and packaging.
• Low-emitting volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, adhesives, carpets, etc. reduce indoor air contamination.
• A green, vegetated rooftop is planted on the hotel to reduce the urban heat island effect and decrease the amount of energy needed for air conditioning. It also slows the rain runoff and insulates the rooftop, keeping the building cooler overall. It is home to a chef’s herb garden as well as two beehives providing natural honey for hotel culinary use.
• Wood used includes Sapele logs that are FSC certified, which is rare for the United States. This wood is utilized in multiple places throughout the hotel.
• Leather products utilized throughout the hotel were created with recycled leather.
• 87% of construction waste was recycled, diverting 1,535 tons of debris from landfills.
• The hotel is contracting with a Green power supplier to buy 35% of the building’s electricity use for two years.
• 150 bicycle parking spaces are located on-property. Bicycles are available for guests to ride in Uptown Charlotte.
• Local complimentary transportation is provided on weekday mornings by hybrid vehicle.
• To encourage the use of hybrid and electric vehicles by our guests, their valet parking is complimentary.
• All dining and beverage menus incorporate organic, local, and 100% natural products.
• The Wellness Center incorporates treatments utilizing 100% organic products.
• The Living Essentials Boutique offers a selection of organic clothing, accessories, products and educational materials.
• A comprehensive recycling program is visible throughout the hotel.
• Environmentally-sensitive cleaning products are used in the hotel.
• The hotel donates unused food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
• A Regeneration Suiting product line (suits made out of recycled two-liter plastic bottles) is used in uniform selection in various departments.
• Collateral utilized in the hotel is printed on post-consumer waste recycled paper.
• Banquet meeting room tables were designed using recycled aluminum.
• Green Meetings are a standard in the hotel.
• A Natura Water Purification System is utilized for meetings in the hotel, thereby diverting 73,000 plastic bottles from landfills on a yearly basis, saving 104.2 barrels of oil, eliminating 48.7 tons of CO2 emissions eliminated, and saving 604,528,714 BTUs of electricity in one year.
• An environmental conservation activity takes place once per quarter within the local City Center community.
  

VolunTeaming is now offered under The Ritz-Carlton social responsibility program, Community Footprints. Transcending traditional group activities, VolunTeaming combines teambuilding with volunteer activities that create lasting memories for the participants. Recognizing that many groups want their teambuilding time to make a meaningful contribution, these programs enable guests to be a force for good and feel personally connected to the place that they visit. Please contact your meetings and special events professional for details on how VolunTeaming activities can be matched to group.

Meetings and events at The Ritz-Carlton are carefully designed to create an unparalleled guest experience while protecting our natural resources. Together with our property-based Ritz-Carlton Environmental Action Conservation Teams (REACT) you and your attendees can support our efforts to reduce our environmental imprint and make a meaningful difference. Within our hotels, we reduce energy and water usage, offer a linen and terry reuse program, and utilize environmentally preferable cleaning products. Our meeting venues support a sustainable future by offering recycled paper products and pens, water service options, organic and local food and sustainable seafood options.