Employees and corporate clients of all Belgian hotels and the head office of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group have planted more than 1,700 trees in the Sonian forest near Brussels. 80 volunteers joined the activity organized by Carlson Rezidor’s Responsible Business department. “We were celebrating the 10th year of our annual tree-planting. It was great to welcome participants of all our Park Inn by Radisson- and Radisson Blu hotels in the country”, said Gaston Gellens, District Director Belgium and General Manager of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Brussels. On a strip prepared by Agentschap Natuur en Bos Vlaanderen (Agency for Forestry Management in Flanders) Carlson Rezidor employees and their families planted four endemic species of high shrubs. Children even had the chance to label and dedicate “their” tree. In true hospitality fashion, the successful event was closed off by a healthy lunch prepared by the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Brussels. Regular tree-plantings are part of Rezidor’s dedicated Responsible Business Programme. The group-wide initiative has its roots as far back as 1989. Besides the respect for social and ethical issues within the company the programme also focuses on health and safety for guests and employees, and on a reduced negative impact on the environment. The Responsible Business Programme is compulsory to all employees and hotels, and is also reflected in the “Always Care” motto of Rezidor’s renowned Safety & Security Programme TRIC=S. The group supports charity organizations such as World Childhood foundation, partners with responsible players like World Cleanup 2012, and has signed to the UN Global Compact and Caring for Climate initiative. One of the latest developments within the Responsible Business Programme is the five years energy saving project “Think Planet”. In 2010, 2011 and yet again in 2012, Rezidor was named one of the Most Ethical Companies of the world.