Sixth Annual RCI® Green Awards Recognize Sustainable Businesses in the Hospitality Industry

PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RCI, the global leader in vacation, announced the latest winners of the RCI^® Green Awards program.

These awards recognize the most environmentally-conscious resorts within the company's exchange network. The application process includes an audit of green practices in areas including energy and water conservation, waste management and community outreach. The evaluation process, winner selection and verification system was completed by third-party eco-certification expert GreenCircle Certified, LLC.

"Hospitality properties have great potential – and great responsibility – to reduce the impact their operations have on the environment," said Brian Bruno, vice president of content and brand marketing for RCI and head of the brand's sustainability program. "Many of our affiliated properties are doing fantastic work in areas of sustainability and are leaving positive marks on their communities, and the recipients of the RCI Green Awards are exceptional examples. As a brand that takes sustainability practices seriously in our own operations, RCI is proud to work with affiliates that have a similar guiding philosophy."

Wyndham Branson at the Meadows in Missouri earned the Platinum RCI Green Award for its multi-faceted approach to sustainability. Some of the highlights of the green efforts at this property are a comprehensive recycling program that includes recycling coffee grounds and filters, a robust community outreach program including many volunteer hours by staff at local environmental clean ups and the donation of home goods.

The Gold RCI Green Award recognized Wyndham Royal Sea Cliff on The Big Island of Hawaii. This property recruits guests to get involved with an effective guest recycling program that provides detailed instruction signs, recycling bags and recycling bins in each room. This property also sources all of its landscaping from vegetation native to Hawaii.

The Silver RCI Green Award went to the Wyndham Vacation Resorts Great Smokies Lodge in Sevierville, Tennessee. This property extends its green efforts to the surrounding community with multiple environmental cause events, including a monthly Adopt-A-Road event, a biannual roads and rivers cleanup day, and its Green Team's implementation of a butterfly garden at the Eugene Huskey Environmental Center.

The RCI Green Awards are open to all RCI affiliates in North America, and the application process does not involve a fee. RCI also offers a Green Resource Center on its affiliate website for developers looking to expand their sustainability efforts. The application process for next year's RCI Green Awards will begin in October.

About RCI
RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with over 4,300 affiliated resorts in nearly 110 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. Today, through the RCI Weeks^® program, the week-for-week exchange system, and the RCI Points^® program, the industry's first global points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation options to its 3.8 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI's luxury exchange program, The Registry Collection^® program, is the world's largest program of its kind with approximately 200 affiliated properties either accessible for exchange or under development on six continents. RCI is part of Wyndham Destination Network and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information, visit our media center. RCI can also be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

SOURCE RCI