Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative

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Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk Partners with Hawaii’s First-Ever Certified Carbon Project to Provide Carbon Neutral Guest Accommodations Through Reforesting Hawaiian Trees

MEDIA CONTACT                                                                                                     
Teddi Anderson
President, TLC PR
(808) 535-9099
teddi@tlcpr.com

Honolulu, Hawaii, February 22, 2022 – Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk has partnered with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) and Legacy Carbon LLC to provide its clientele with the unique opportunity to offset the carbon footprint  of their vacation through the planting of endemic Hawaiian trees.

Through the planting and electronic tracking of more than 550,000 native and endemic Hawaiian trees, this Gold Standard Certified carbon project has produced some of the highest-quality carbon offsets in the world. It is the first Gold Standard certified reforestation project in North America, and the only certified carbon project of any kind in the state of Hawaii. 

A commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtQEsUAwWIQ was recently completed by tree planting partners, HEI Foundation’s Project Footprint and provides a better perspective of how big this forest has grown in just a few years. “This partnership has helped to reestablish critical habitat for many of the state’s rarest plant and bird species,” said Simeon Miranda, General Manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk.  “Our guests now have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the history and culture of Hawaii by planting a Legacy Tree with their own hands and will also be able to take an active role in generating the carbon offsets to neutralize the carbon footprint of their stay here at Embassy Suites. Indeed, the only footprints our guests will leave behind will be the ones on the beach.”

HLRI has already planted more than 1,200 acres of forest (endemic koa, ohia, milo, kou, wiliwili, sandalwood, and other species) in the first-of-its-kind Hawaiian Legacy Forest that will sequester more than a quarter million tons of CO2 over the next 50 years. Each tree is RFID geo-tagged and can be individually tracked throughout its lifetime by the tree sponsor on HLRI’s TreeTracker.

“We cannot solve the problems of today by using the same thinking that created the problems in the first place,” said Jeff Dunster, Executive Director of HLRI. “Embassy Suites is a perfect example of people using the power of business and innovation to solve real world problems and create solutions that are extremely effective in real world application.”

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About HLRI: Through state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies, HLRI works with landowners and conservation partners to establish and preserve economically viable and sustainable endemic Hawaiian forests, protect endangered species, sequester carbon, and recharge watersheds. HLRI’s Legacy Trees are sponsored by businesses and individuals, with a portion of proceeds donated to other charities worldwide. For more, visit LegacyTrees.org.