• | Environmental Sustainability. Our focus on sustainability is exemplified by our commitment to the following four principles: |
Conservation, including through energy and water conservation and reduction of waste;
Preservation, including through preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the locations of our properties;
Personification, including putting people first by investing in them and facilitating a people-centric culture in our businesses; and
Innovation, including the pursuit of sustainable growth by enhancing the value of our brands and assets through investments, technology and environmental best practices.
We also believe it is important to address climate and resource issues by measuring our progress in improving the environmental footprint of our hotel properties. Specifically, we are working with Marriott, the operator of our hotel properties, to establish baselines for our energy, water and waste usage for our hotel portfolio. We also continue to work with Marriott to implement new, and to expand existing, programs at our hotels to minimize risk and enhance value.
Corporate Citizenship. We strive to be a good corporate citizen in the markets in which we operate through financial and volunteer support of worthy causes, as well as through direct community engagement. Our charitable foundation, which has a primary focus on youth, education and the arts, supports many organizations in our community, including the PENCIL Foundation and YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Camp Widjiwagan.
• | Corporate Citizenship. We strive to be a good corporate citizen in the markets in which we operate through financial and volunteer support of worthy causes, as well as through direct community engagement. Our charitable foundation, which has a primary focus on youth, education and the arts, supports many organizations in our community, including the PENCIL Foundation and YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Camp Widjiwagan.
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We also believe it is important to ensure the safety of our employees and guests, to uphold labor rights and take steps to prevent sexual harassment of our employees. Finally, we think it is important to respect and uphold fundamental
human rights, and to work to eradicate modern slavery from the industries in which we operate and the supply chains of those industries.
• | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We have committed to transforming our approach to diversity and inclusion by building upon past successes and focusing on key areas for |
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We have committed to transforming our approach to diversity and inclusion by building upon past successes and focusing on key areas for improvement. While our company has a strong track record of fair employment practices, we acknowledge there is more work to be done to create an inclusive experience for all employees and recruit more minority candidates to the business. In 2020, we carried out a deep examination of our diversity and inclusion practices and began instituting new initiatives to be a stronger community partner and agent for change, which process continued in 2021. Thisduring 2022. These initiatives included a commitment from our Chairman and CEO Colin Reed, who shared our four-pronged promise to directly impact diversity and inclusion within the organization and in our communities as follows:
A commitment to educational partnerships that encourageencouraging minority candidates to pursue careers in the hospitality and entertainment industries while also creating direct paths to leadership roles.
A commitment to increasing efforts to identifycareers, identifying and showcaseshowcasing diverse talent onin our Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opryentertainment venues and Ole Red stages, as well as to using our marketing platforms to amplify diverse artists’ contributions to country music.
A commitment to holding all levels of leadership accountable for efforts to fosterfostering an inclusive employment environment through specific annual performance goals related toour human resources processes (including training, leadership development and talent review processes.reviews).
A commitment to increasing our advocacy efforts for inclusive policies at the state, local and federal levels, including through actively lobbying against discriminatory legislation.
Workforce Composition and Minority Representation
We are committed to equal employment opportunity (EEO), and it is our policy to provide EEO to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex (i.e., pregnancy,