The second Green Hotel Award Presentation Ceremony was held on 5^th June on World Environment Day at the Macau Fishermen's Wharf Exhibition Center. Green Hotel Awardees were split up into 2 categories, category I (5 and 4 star hotels): The Venetian Macao, Grandview Hotel, Pousada Marina Infante; and category II (3 and 2 star hotels): Grand Emperor Hotel. They were awarded effective until the end of 2011.

    The award has been organized by the Environment Council with the collaboration of Macao Government Tourist Office, supported by Macau Hoteliers & Innkeepers Association, Macau Hotel Association, Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center, Macau Hotel Employees Association, and benefited from consultancy services from Hong Kong Productivity Council. This award was first launched in 2007 and has been designed to leverage the importance of environmental management within the sector, and honour hotel establishments that have committed to environmental management. This year's award ceremony was held on the World Environment Day (5^th June) under the theme "Your Planet needs you! Unite to combat climate change", aimed to make the hotel industry aware as well as the whole society to take actions to protect planet earth, in accordance with the Untied Nations' objective.

    A total of 12 hotels have been awarded as Green Hotels since 2007, which covered about 36% of hotel rooms in Macao. Hotels, which have been evaluated according to the 3 assessment criteria, such as "Green Leadership and Innovation"; "Green Programme Performance"; and "Partner Synergy" under 3 phases of assessment including Desktop Assessment, Field Assessment and Award Confirmation, are awarded effective for 3 years.

    Representatives of 2008 four awarded hotels shared their environmental experience and initiatives in the ceremony. The organizer also followed up, concluded and recognized 2007 eight awardees' status on continual improvement of their environmental aspects (Hotel Beverly Plaza, Mandarin Oriental, Macau, The Westin Resort Macau, Holiday Inn Macau, Riviera Hotel Macau, Metropole Hotel, Emperor Hotel, Pousada de Mong - Há).

    The officiating guests of the award presentation ceremony included the president of the General Council of the Environment Council, Mr. Leong Vai Tac; director of Macau Government Tourism Office, Mr. Costa Antunes; the acting president of the Executive Committee of the Environment Council, Ms. Vong Mang Hung; Regional Director of Pacific Asia Tourism Association, Mr. Shahram Saber; as well as the representatives of Macau Hoteliers & Innkeepers Association, Macau Hotel Association, Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center, Macau Hotel Employees Association and Hong Kong Productivity Council, local hotels, environmental associations, and green enterprises, attended the ceremony.

    For further details of the award, please go to: www.ambiente.gov.mo/greenhotel