Responsible Business - Let's take responsibility

Taking responsibility for the environment and local community has been an important part of Rezidor's broader commitment to sustainable development for many years. In 2001, this commitment was fortified and placed within the scope of a programme called Responsible Business (RB). Each hotel has a unique RB Action Plan covering areas such as community outreach, environmental improvement, employee well-being and health and safety. To read more about the RB programme, please go to www.responsiblebusiness.rezidor.com.

Our hotels are engaged with both local charity groups and Rezidor's corporate international charity organisation, the World Childhood Foundation. The mission of Childhood is to defend the rights of the child and to promote better living conditions for vulnerable and exploited children at risk all over the world.

Here are some of the Responsible Business activities and achievements of this hotel:

• Battery collection boxes.
• Separation of waste (public and back areas), cardboard, paper and glass.
• Distribution of the Responsible Business Fact Sheet on all sales calls.
• Record and monitor consumption of gas, electricity, water and waste.
• Fluorescent lights recycled.
• Preventative Maintenance Program.
• Photocells and timers installed in low usage areas.
• Responsible Business committee with a team member from every department in order to involve all staff in Responsible Business activities.
• Every new hotel employee receives Responsible Business training during their induction, and participates in extensive training annually.
• Food donation twice a week to the Orthodox Day support for homeless youth.
• Support Latvia's most ambitious and spectacular modern library project in Europe - if not the world - 'The Castle of Light' by sponsoring manufacturing of an embossed donation collection box/ informative stand and displaying it in the hotel's lobby. By doing so, the hotel will be helping build international awareness of Latvia's UNESCO supported National Library project.  Also, displaying the hotel logo on the box establishes a connection between Radisson Blu and the project.
• Donating used furniture and textiles to several charity organizations - SOS Latvia, Dzivesprieks, Salvation Army during planned end-of-the-year renovation.
• Responsible Business Project 'Summer Job for Teenagers' (June - August) started at the Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel, Riga 2 years ago. This project makes it possible for children of hotel employees (15 years +) to work in the hotel during the summer holidays. These young people provided excellent help doing simple but important daily jobs (i.e. cleaning at the housekeeping department, writing thousands of key pockets for group arrivals for the front office, etc.). These jobs normally do not require constant assistance, but they are time consuming. It is a win-win project for all parties involved - parents are sure that at least one month of the long summer holiday is exciting and useful for their kids, and teenagers get their first work experience earning money. The hotel is happy to involve these young people because they are helpful, and it is important to see them grow up and become more self-confident, responsible and proud. In being the first employer, the hotel can provide the turning point for a young person choosing his or her future career.
• Sponsoring 'Kas Notiek' in January, organized by DIENA. The Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel, Riga in cooperation with the largest daily newspaper, DIENA, organized the Latvian national competition for 9th grade students called, "What Is Happening?" The contest is quickly gaining popularity, and the publicity is impressive. In October - November, the students had to answer questions in a form of a written test to demonstrate how much they knew about the most important events, people, and a great variety of issues which are not taught in school. The winners received personal computers from IBM and participated in the hotel's awards ceremony. The Prime Minister of Latvia, Mr. A. Kalvitis, opened the awards ceremony (which takes place in hotel's main ballroom), afterwards there was a concert, disco and buffet. The hotel is pleased that schoolchildren are willing to broaden their horizons and learn more than school programs require. The hotel trusts that these bright children will make informed decisions in the future and contribute more to improving their current environment.