One of Portland, Oregon’s newest hotels, the Canopy by Hilton Portland Pearl District, located in the city’s Pearl District, launched a new sustainability program to improve the property’s impact on the environment.
The LEED Gold certified hotel is 100 percent plastic bottle and plastic straw-free. Guests have access to refillable water stations with glass cups and bottles on every floor of the hotel. These water stations have saved more than 24,312 plastic water bottles since the hotel opened in June. Paper and reusable steel straws replace plastic in all beverages in the restaurant and bar. The hotel continues to reduce waste by using china glasses and plates, metal flatware and cloth napkins at their complimentary breakfast, instead of disposable products.
A partnership with a local Yakama Tribe family, who has Columbia River fishing rights, provides the hotel with local, ethically sourced salmon for its restaurant. Other local food and drink partners include Nossa Familia Coffee Roasters, Our Table Cooperative, Cascade Organic, Jasmine Pearl Tea Company, Ground Up Nut Butter and Jacobsen Salt. This spring, Jacobsen Salt’s sister company, Bee Local Honey, will install eight honey-producing bee colonies to the hotel’s green roof and the resulting honey will be used by the hotel for cocktails and recipes.
“It’s very important to the Canopy Portland team that we support the community, both ecologically and economically,” Terry Goldman, chief enthusiast at Canopy by Hilton Portland Pearl District, said in a statement. “We make every effort to source ingredients, talent and other materials from local companies and people whose goals and values align with ours. We believe this also brings an added value to our guests, who can stay, play and eat here knowing that their tourism is responsible.”
Other sustainable touches include the hotel’s accent pillows, which were stitched locally by a black- and woman-owned company, using fabric from the Pendleton Woolen Mills, a 109-year-old textile company based in Portland. The hotel also limits its footprint by using reclaimed wood from a local Oregon farm for cabinets and storage throughout the hotel, and offers complimentary bikes for guests.
