To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1880 ) 8/20/2005 4:07:26 PM From: Wharf Rat Respond to of 24213 Two Hyatt hotels to buy renewable energy only DALLAS (AP) — Two Hyatt Regency hotels in the Dallas area have agreed to buy only renewable energy, making them the nation's largest hotel purchasers of energy from wind, solar and other renewables. The hotels will buy their power from Austin-based Green Mountain Energy. The Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion and the Hyatt Regency at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport are owned by Hunt-Woodbine Realty. Officials at Green Mountain touted the hotels' move as part of growing preference for renewable energy, which they said would increase demand for wind farms and similar facilities. The hotels will cut their share of pollution from carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of 4,400 cars. Carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas widely believed by scientists to contribute to global warming. "This was a chance to make a very public statement about the responsibility we have to be good community stewards," said Steve Vissotzky, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Renewable energy generally costs more than electricity produced by utilities such as TXU, which operate coal- and gas-fired plants and nuclear reactors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the largest users of renewable energy are the U.S. Air Force, Johnson & Johnson, the EPA, the World Bank, and the General Services Administration, the procurement arm of the federal government. There are no hotel companies in the top 25. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. usatoday.com