Oxford Partnership

Go Paperless Get Involved
IHG and Priority Club Rewards are measuring and managing our impact on the environment, establishing new partnerships and working to ensure that we are operating responsibly. We are committed to making a difference and minimizing our environmental footprint.

You can be part of the solution too by helping us support Conservation through Innovation and choosing to receive e-statements over traditional paper statements. By making the easy switch, you will not only be doing your part, Priority Club Rewards will make a donation to Oxford University’s Department of Plant Sciences in order to support conservation research.

But, switching to e-statements will do more than just help the environment, it gives you access to more offers and promotions faster as well as access to your account whenever you need it.

So, make conservation one of your priorities and make the switch today!
 

Switch today and receive 250 bonus points!*

Simply email us your name, your Priority Club Rewards number and your preferred email address and we'll take it from there!

*Must be a Priority Club® Rewards member to participate in this promotion. By providing your email address, you are agreeing to receive a monthly Priority Club Rewards e-statement. A one-time 250 point bonus will be deposited directly into your member account when your preference has been submitted and the email address provided has been confirmed to be a valid email address. Promotion ends December 31, 2010. Miles earners will earn points. No retroactive points will be awarded if you already receive an e-statement. Subject to standard Priority Club Rewards program terms and conditions and earning structure which can be obtained by visiting priority club.com or by calling your local service center.

© 2009 InterContinental Hotels Group. All rights reserved. Most hotels are independently owned and / or operated.
  
Diversity Hotspots

  Although biodiversity hotspots have been defined in various ways, the number of ‘endemic’  species is central to most definitions: a species is said to be endemic to an area when it is found only in that area and nowhere else on earth.

In the one popular sense of the term (Norman Myers’ definition adopted by Conservation International (CI)), a hotspot must be both rich in endemics and its habitat must be disappearing fast. Specifically, it must have more than 1,500 endemic species of vascular plant; and it must have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat.

There is great scope for these definitions to be refined, especially so that hotspot areas can be mapped more precisely, on a finer scale, to highlight specific areas deserving of protection; and so that endemic species can be considered separately from the degree of vegetation loss. It is useful to think of each hotspot as nested sets of more specific hotspots, separated by less important areas. Ornithologists recognize ‘endemic  bird areas’, and there are often several of these in each of the global hotspots. While we work on fine-tuning and better understanding these hotspots for plants, here is the initial ‘first approximation’ list of global hotspots based on Myers’/CI’s criteria:

  

Biodiversity Hotspots

      
  John Wood
Two Bromeliads at San Pedro.

John Wood
Steven Heathcote works at the Department of Plant Sciences on the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). His work will help to explain the distribution of these species in the Peruvian Andes. For further details, see http://dps.plants.ox.ac.uk/plants/Staff/StevenHeathcote.aspx and http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/ecodynamics/andes.php.

To find out more about Steven and his adventurous travels and to post a question or comment about Steven, please see the Oxford Department of Plant Sciences Blog. Enjoy!!!!

     
 

Biodiversity



 Man has been to the moon and sequenced the human genome, yet our knowledge of the world’s species and ecosystems – global biodiversity – is incomplete. The several hundred thousand plant species that exist today have evolved over millions of years.

Approximately, 2000 new plant species are discovered each year – a sure sign that there’s more to discover.

The University of Oxford’s Department of Plant Sciences is dedicated to understanding plant diversity and providing innovative and practical solutions that assist with diversity analysis and documentation.
Innovative Hotels
Indigo Hotel Indigo Hotel
In 2008 IHG launched Innovation hotel, an online example of what future hotels might look like if they used green technologies. The Innovation Hotel has been created
so that you, our guests, can tell us what you like and share with us any ideas you feel are important. The site allows us to consider these ideas as we evolve how we design, build and operate more responsible hotels and feeds into the ongoing development of Green Engage.

We have identified four key areas where we can make a difference and as you navigate around the Innovation Hotel you will see our ideas catergorized according to these areas:

• Energy
• Waste		 • Water
• Community

 
Flush less frequently
Remember the old saying? Well, use your best judgement when using your hotel bathroom.

Question posted on the blog:
Do you remain conscious of how often you flush during your hotel stay?

     
Priority Club Connect
PCR CARD
Users Online
Currently online: 3 members 12 guests
Recent logins:
Please welcome our newest community members:
View All
Quick Links