Marriott International has invested $2.5 million into environmental initiatives over the past three years, according to the company’s new 2011-2012 Sustainability Report. The hotelier also has contributed to workforce development for disadvantaged youth around the world.

"For Marriott, creating a sustainable future includes preserving the environment, but it also means creating more jobs and stronger communities," says Mari Snyder, vice president of social responsibility. "Over the next two years, we plan to hire approximately 100,000 people in our growing portfolio of hotels, two-thirds outside the United States. These programs are equipping disadvantaged youth with employable skills that can hopefully prepare them for jobs with Marriott."

Highlights from the report include:

• A 12 percent reduction in water consumption per occupied room and a 4 percent reduction in energy consumption per square meter since 2007.
• The launch of a Green Hotel Global, an online tool giving guests and business customers access to a comprehensive list of environmental metrics and practices for each hotel in the Marriott portfolio.
• Investing in sustainable development with the announcement of plans to open the company's first hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
• Hiring nearly 36,000 associates in 2011 with plans to hire approximately 100,000 more people around the world over the next two years.
• Delivering "Human Rights and the Protection of Children" training to all associates worldwide and participating in the International Tourism Partnership's Human Trafficking Working Group that created an Industry Position Statement on Human Trafficking.
• Marking the three-year anniversary of the company's $2 million commitment to the Juma Sustainable Development Reserve in Amazonas, Brazil, to protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest
• Helping to protect the source of fresh water in southwestern China's Sichuan Province through the company's Nobility of Nature program in partnership with Conservation International. The initiative promotes sustainable jobs—such as beekeeping and honey production.

For a full copy of the report, click here.