Foreword Macao is undergoing rapid economic growth in recent years, tourism and gaming industries are flourishing and construction of new hotels and entertainment facilities are well under way, hence given the impressive hotel sector growth, we urge to unveil and promote new approaches on how to, efficiently, utilize local resources and minimize hotel operations effect on local environment.

Hotel industry itself is the privileged actor to minimize environmental cost while generating profits. Numerous successful initiatives from the industry show how environmentally sound practices are beneficial both to the environment and the business. In order to promote these win-win solutions, the Environment Council stepped proactively, in launching a guidebook aiming to divulge environmentally friendly practices and encourage the hotel industry to adopt these measures, and thus, participate in our effort towards local sustainability.

The “Green Hotel Guidebook”, which has been published by the Environment Council in cooperation with Hong Kong Productivity Council, with reference to the “Macao Hotel Environmental Survey” conducted in 2003.

According to survey findings, Macao hotels are greening up, to enhance the environment and their own bottom lines. Their efforts made in energy conservation, water conservation, waste recycling, green procurement, and noise improvement are appreciably noted.

“Green Hotel Guidebook” has been drawn in order to reveal environmental practices and help the hotel industry to further raise their environmental performance, after the survey findings.

Finally, the Environment Council would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Hong Kong Productivity Council as well as those local hotels and associations involved in “Macao Hotel Environmental Survey” for their valuable contributions to the publication.