Miami, FL, November 3, 2008 – Today, with the focus on the environment, sustainable resources and the drive to reduce our carbon footprint, the task of “saving the planet” has now become everyone’s responsibility.  With 11 high-end all-inclusive properties located throughout Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Riviera Nayarit, and Punta Cana, Palace Resorts, the company that set the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations, is now making the move to also be environmentally friendly, as well as give back to the community. Below are some steps the company is taking to make their resorts more environmentally friendly:
 
Palace Resorts Environmental Committee
In an effort to preserve natural resources and provide more green areas throughout all of its resorts, Palace Resorts has created an environmental committee, “Comité Ambiental Palace Resorts”, whose mission is to prevent and control pollution and degradation of the environment through the efficient use of the resources with the objective of sustainable development.

To that end, the committee will work with all the resorts to educate personnel on caring for the environment, reduce the amount of waste and trash generated, promote the purchase of environmentally friendly products, implement a recycling and trash sorting program to reduce waste, regulate emissions from all the resorts to reduce their carbon output, administer a series of “green areas” at all the properties, implement the use of “green signs”, which include the original names and descriptions of the flora currently planted, and much, much more.

Based on the success of this program, Xpu-Ha Palace has already been awarded Certificado de Calidad Ambiental Turística, (certificate for environmental quality in tourism) from Mexico’s protection environmental agency - PROFEPA (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente) for complying with the environmental regulations. It is the goal of Palace Resorts to have nine resorts receive this certification by the end of this year.

Paperless Technology
In an effort to reduce the amount of paper used, Palace Resorts has invested in state-of-the-art electronic technology and posted electronic schedule boards throughout all of the resorts, thus eliminating the use of printed schedules. Additionally, Palace Resorts offers online  reservation and confirmation of all accommodations, as well as an online resource where guests can book tours, rental cars, tee times and spa treatments.

Saving Energy
Palace Resorts has made it a priority to conserve resources, not only in the public spaces, but also in all the rooms at many of its resorts. Over the last two years, the company has been working to install state-of the art “light switches” that are triggered by inserting your room key. When the room key is inserted in the provided slot, the lights and the air conditioning in all the rooms can be controlled individually. However, when the room key is removed, everything turns off, thus reducing the expenditure of electricity.

Reuse & Renew
With 11 all-inclusive resorts and more than 6,000 rooms brand-wide, Palace Resorts has implemented a linen reuse program that reduces its carbon footprint and the use of natural resources.

Giving Back
Over the last two years, Palace Resorts has implemented a system where all the unused food at its restaurants is donated to local food banks and shelters throughout the regions where they operate. Through this program, Palace has not only reduced waste but has helped feed the less fortunate in its communities.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Palace Resorts has made the commitment to reduce its use of bottled water throughout all of their resorts. To this end, the company has installed a state-of-the-art water filtration system at each of its properties that will not only reduce its dependency on bottled water but also help the resort irrigate the grounds. However, in the instances when bottled water is preferred, Palace Resorts provides 1 ½ liter bottles as opposed to ½ liter bottles in effort to provide additional servings and cut down on the accumulated waste from the single serve containers. Furthermore, with the consent of event organizer, Palace Resorts is working to provide pitchers of water versus water bottles during all event coffee breaks. Lastly, to further reduce waste, Palace Resorts is working to implement a comprehensive recycling program throughout all of the resorts.

Saving Indigenous Wildlife
Palace Resorts is pleased to support an integral protection sea turtle program that is working to establish protection efforts along the 7 miles of beach on the coast of Quintana Roo state. In three camp sites located at Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort, Cancun Palace, Beach Palace and Sun Palace, that have been specifically authorized by the SEMARNAT (Mexico’s Environmental and Natural Resources Agency), Palace Resorts has protected 117,676 sea turtle eggs since the programs conception in 2005. The purpose of the program is to not only preserve and protect the eggs that sea turtles come to shore to lay, but to also provide environmental education, training, investigation and continuously evaluation of this majestic creature and work together so that they may carry on and thrive for years to come.

Palace Resorts’ “Green Thumb”
In effort to enrich and establish “green areas” that are representative of the natural vegetation throughout all of the Palace properties, Palace Resorts has established several environmentally friendly nurseries at the Centro de Distribución Palace (Distribution Center) with approximately 200,000 indigenous plants that represent a cross section of species collected from the jungle, wetlands, mangroves and coastal dunes. This distribution center offers several services, including acting as a temporary home to local plants that are relocated during construction or renovation of properties, a cultivation center used to nurture replacement plants to those that become damaged or unhealthy and to offer a base of operation where the Palace team of gardeners can work to repair and foster the future health of natural vegetation, coastal thickets, mangroves and dunes that serving as natural barriers in event of storms and hurricanes.

For more information on Palace Resorts and their green initiatives, please call (800) 635-1836 or visit www.palaceresorts.com. 

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Palace Resorts, the company that set the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations, offers ten all-inclusive properties throughout Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Isla Mujeres, Riviera Nayarit, Cozumel and soon Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. At each of the Palace Resorts, guests are provided with luxurious, yet affordable accommodations, fine cuisine, 24-hour room service, top shelf drinks, sensational entertainment, wireless Internet, non-motorized water sports and unlimited select tours. Palace Resorts’ unparalleled level of service and comfort found at each property makes them a leader in providing world-class resort vacations in Mexico.