The University of Virginia School of Architecture Awarded Multi-Year Grant from Hilton Worldwide for Global Sustainability Program
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 22, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The University of Virginia’s School of Architecture has been awarded an $80,000 grant by leading global hospitality company Hilton Worldwide to support its Minor in Global Sustainability, including the Global Sustainability course taught by Phoebe Crisman, associate dean for research and associate professor of architecture. Hilton Worldwide is currently the first and only corporate philanthropic partner with the School of Architecture’s “Global Sustainability” program.
This multi-year commitment through 2015 is intended to sustain and grow the Global Sustainability course and attract more students to this Minor program. Funding will be used to finance faculty, graduate teachers and research assistants, course materials, guest lecturers and scholarly conference expenses. Additional opportunities to collaborate on research and create an internship program are also underway.
“We are very grateful to Hilton Worldwide for its generous support,” noted Kim Tanzer, dean of the School of Architecture. “As the University’s sustainability and international affairs programs and research continue to emerge and grow, we are excited to collaborate with Hilton Worldwide to cultivate future leaders in sustainability and help fulfill the shared mission of both the University and Hilton -- to positively influence tomorrow.”
“We are a global company with 4,000 properties across 90 countries, and we understand the impact our business has on the health of the planet,” explained Matthew Richardson, global head of architecture, design and construction for Hilton Worldwide. “As the first multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability a brand standard, we strive to find solutions to global sustainability challenges. The opportunity to support the University of Virginia’s Global Sustainability program is just one more way we are able to innovate and collaborate with others to extend our impact.”
Hilton Worldwide’s focus on sustainability requires that it maintain a responsible management of the natural resources that are essential to its business. The company launched LightStayTM, a proprietary system developed to calculate and analyze sustainability performance in 2010. LightStay measures multiple utility and operational metrics including energy, water, carbon, housekeeping, paper product usage, waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation. Hilton Worldwide completed the adoption of LightStay across the company's 4,000 properties in 90 countries in 2011 and is now tracking more than 450,000,000 square feet of build space within the system - an amount greater than all the office spaces in New York City and ten times all hotel rooms in Las Vegas. As part of the LightStay Meeting Calculator, Hilton Worldwide also can provide customers with real-time data on food, travel and operational practices for any its properties. To date, the company reports $147 million in cumulative savings from efficiency projected for hotels reporting through LightStay. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide has achieved its five-year goal to reduce total waste output by 20 percent, a full two years ahead of schedule.
Over the past four years, “Global Sustainability” has seen tremendous growth, collaborating with over 50 community partners and enrolling over 400 students from across the University whose disciplines vary from nursing to commerce. The required course has become so popular across Grounds and within the School of Architecture that there has been a waiting list each semester.
About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 94 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 4,000 hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 650,000 rooms in 90 countries and territories and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.
# # #
