Notre programme

All 2009 project news

For Earth Day, the Delegate General of SOS SAHEL visited the team of the ibis hotel in Douala, Cameroon, that has been associated with Plant for the Planet since April 2008

April 22, 2009 Last April 22, during World Earth day, celebrated every year by the 150,000 employees of the Accor group, Rémi Hémeryck, Delegate General of SOS SAHEL, travelled to Cameroon and spent the day with Bernard Houppertz, Manager of the ibis Douala and his employees; a day that allowed a rich exchange between both parties. Rémi Hémeryck reports: “I was able to appreciate the commitment of the ibis teams to ensuring the smooth operation of the project. […] For SOS SAHEL, meeting in a hotel of the African continent was very symbolic. Above all, our association is one of African solidarity that was initiated with the support of President Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar thrity years ago. The participation of the ibis Douala hotel, along with the Novotel Cotonou in Benin, symbolizes this spirit of solidarity. This is often illustrated by simple and daily gestures in Africa. This is not new for the ibis Douala.” This observation waas supported by Bernard Houppertz’s description of the many local actions initiated by his hotel in favour of sustainable development. As for the hotel teams, they learned more about the project that Plant for the Planet is financing in Senegal. An important day for all, that enabled Accor to show SOS SAHEL the daily reality of Plant for the Planet in the hotels and wonderful motivation of its employees. For SOS SAHEL, this day provided an opportunity to explain the project supported in Senegal that aims to protect the market garden basins so crucial to the country’s food supply from the encroaching desert, all while setting up the sustainable management of agriculture.

Romania

April 2, 2009The M.E.T. NGO planted more than 5,000 trees in the Sibiu-Sighisoara region (Transylvania). More than 200 pupils helped the NGO plant trees in a 5-hectare field.
These are the first trees planted in Romania within the framework of Accor’s Plant for the Planet project. The funds used for this plantation came from Mercure Munich City Center and Sofitel Bayerpost Munich (Germany), from Novotel Breda (Netherlands), Sofitel St James and Mercure Cardiff Holland House (United Kingdom). In April 2008, these hotels set up a new towel re-use program for guests and now reinvest 50 % of the savings in M.E.T.’s reforestation projects.

Brazil

February 15, 2009 Nordesta Brazil, along with many volunteers, planted 3,100 young plants of 22 native species in the park of Serra da Canastra near the Limeira guesthouse.
These are the first trees planted in Brazil within the framework of Accor’s Plant for the Planet project. They are financed by 3 Brazilian hotels – Novotel São Jose Dos Campos, Sofitel Rio and Mercure Sao Paulo Paulista – which have implemented a new towel re-use program for guests since April 2008. Half of the savings was donated to Nordesta Brazil to finance the planting.
In 2009, more than 100 Brazilian hotels of the Accor group will join the Plant for the Planet project.

United States

January 2009 Accor signed a partnership with American Forests, an NGO specialized in reforestation. The Accor group is going to finance American Forests’s projects within the framework of its Plant for the Planet project. This project aims at facilitating the implementation of money-saving eco-practices. The savings achieved in North America will help to finance American Forests’ reforestation programs, which combine environmental, economic and social benefits for local communities.
First initiative: the launch of a new towel re-use program for guests in Novotel North York and Sofitel San Francisco Bay in 2008, which will allow planting thousands of trees in the national forest of Monongahela in Western Virginia, from 2009.

Australia

January 2009 Nicolas Métro who created Kinomé, the company in charge of the reforestation projects’ audit on behalf of the Accor group, met the Greening Australia teams. This meeting helped to specify the scheme of the reforestation projects which will be financed by Accor: the protection of the Wollondilly riverbanks, the Wollondilly River being an important tributary of the Hawkes River, which supplies 70 % of the Sydney urban area with water.

Indonesia

January 2009 Since April 2008, 5 Indonesian hotels have been engaged in the Plant for the Planet project.
By inviting guests to reuse their towels, Novotel Benoa Bali, all seasons Legian Bali, Mercure Convention Center in Djakarta, Novotel Mangga Dua and ibis Arcadia generated savings which will finance the planting of thousands of trees near the village of Glandang in 2009.

Senegal

January 2009 Since April, 2008, 15 hotels located in France, Benin and Cameroon, have been engaged in the Plant for the Planet project. By inviting guests to reuse their towels, these hotels generated savings and donated almost €20,000 to SOS Sahel. These funds will finance in 2009 the plantation of thousands of trees in the Niayes area, a strategic market garden region for Senegal.

Thailand

January 2009 Accor signed a partnership with Plant-a-tree-today, an NGO based in Bangkok and specialized in reforestation. The Accor group is going to finance projects of the NGO within the framework of its Plant for the Planet project. This project aims at facilitating the implementation of money-saving eco-practices. The savings achieved in Asia will help to finance Plant-a-tree-today’s programs with the aim to reforest the Khao Yai park and to create jobs.