HOTEL Raintree, a popular 5-star hotel in Chennai, was recently awarded the prestigious Golden Peacock award at a glittering function. Akash Gupta, General Manager, The Raintree Hotel, received the award from Dr Ula Ullsten, former prime minister of Sweden, and currently the Chairman, World Council for Corporate Governance. Numerous dignitaries from the worlds of industry, international affairs, ecology and eco-sensitivty were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Akash Gupta said that practicing eco preservation was a way of life at his hotel. A clear indication of the stringent norms that need to be followed, 24X6X365, was the fact that eco preservation at the hotel began with the doorman and ended with the top management. E#very room has a green button, which guests are encouraged to use. While providing a comforting and cooling ambience, four degrees of room temperature is saved as a rule. This is a conscious effort to save electricity consumption. All staff members are continually trained in the three R's - Reduce (wastage in any form), Re-use (water and paper) and Re-cycle (water and paper). The hotel has been awarded the 5-star certification by HVS International, the global certifying authority for Ecotel-registered hotels the world over. There are less than 50 such hot4ls the world over. The Raintree Hotel is the only such accredited hotel in South India. Environmental observation is observed by electricity, water and energy conservation, environment commitment and solid waste management. Solid waste segregation is main tained by providing waste bins in four colours - green for recyclable waste (paper and cardboard), black for food wastes, white for plastic bottles, glass bottles and cans, etc, and red for non-recyclable waste such as plastic bags and covers. Eco-friendly furniture is used and locally grown produce is used in food production. Water conservation initiatives include use of de-heated steam from air-conditioners for laundry, acrators in taps to stop flow of water after use, smaller cisterns in water closets, treated waste water used strictly in toilets and for gardening purposes. A swimming pool on the rooftop acts as a heat insulator, and a cool deck reduces surface temperature. Use of natural light is maximized and curtains are of light colours.