ORLANDO, Fla., April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- RCI, the
global leader in vacation exchange, today announced the winners of
its annual RCI® Green Award, with Wyndham Great Smokies
Lodge in Sevierville, Tennessee
awarded the highest platinum honor. The fourth iteration of this
competitive award program saw applications from many of RCI's most
environmentally-conscious affiliated resorts, with the winners
selected and verified by this year's new third-party
sustainability expert and evaluator, GreenCircle Certified,
LLC.
"So many of our affiliated resorts are incredibly resourceful in
the ways they innovate, implement and maintain sustainable business
practices into their day-to-day activities," said Gordon Gurnik, president, RCI. "The RCI Green
Award celebrates our top RCI affiliated properties whose green
initiatives have made some great positive impact on the earth, have
elevated their resorts' level of environmental-friendliness and
have inspired their industry peers to adopt the same eco-friendly
mentality."
Wyndham Great Smokies Lodge, the winner of the Platinum RCI
Green Award, exemplifies best-in-class sustainability practices.
Best illustrated through its various community outreach efforts,
the resort supports several local beautification projects including
road and river clean-ups, and tree planting at nearby schools and
parks. The site also contributes to multiple community fundraisers
that enhance local gardens and school arboretums, as well as
promotes recycling efforts and litter prevention.
Wyndham Ocean Ridge Resort in Edisto
Beach, South Carolina, was awarded the Gold RCI Green Award.
A recently-installed electric vehicle charging station affords
guests the luxury and convenience of quick energy service.
Travelers interested in exploring the resort's surrounding area can
recharge their electric cars directly on-site before hitting the
road. Additional green practices incorporated on-site include
various energy and water reduction initiatives.
Based in Princeville, Hawaii,
Grand Pacific Resorts Hanalei Bay Resort took home the Silver RCI
Green Award. The resort's unique coconut reuse program repurposes
coconut husks, which would be otherwise disposed, to plant and
protect its on-site orchid blooms. The husks are placed over the
orchid roots to safeguard the plant until it grows strong enough to
adhere to nearby trees and flourish. Additional native vegetation
placed throughout resort grounds support its water reduction
practices.
RCI collaborated with GreenCircle, a leader in third-party
eco-certification, to assess, rate, and verify resort applicants
based on their innovations in energy and water conservation, waste
management, community outreach and environmental management. The
results of the GreenCircle's audit determined the winners of this
year's RCI Green Awards.
"The commitment from these three recipients to make
sustainability a priority is a great example of how our industry
continues to do its part to build a cleaner, enduring and more
efficient environment for our next generation of travelers,"
continued Gurnik. "Our valued partners share our mission to deliver
long-lasting RCI vacation memories to subscribing members and their
families and friends for years to come, and we applaud their
efforts to keep sustainability top of mind in all that they
do."
For more information and details on the RCI Green Award, visit
www.RCIaffiliates.com.
About RCI
RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation
exchange with approximately 4,500 affiliated resorts in more than
100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in
1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with
their vacation ownership experience. Today, through the RCI
Weeks® program, the week-for-week exchange system, and
the RCI Points® program, the industry's first global
points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation
options to its 3.8 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI's
luxury exchange program, The Registry
Collection®, is the world's largest program of
its kind with approximately 200 affiliated properties either
accessible for exchange or under development on six
continents. RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and
the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional
information visit our media center or rciaffiliates.com. RCI also
can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
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SOURCE RCI