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Sustainable Tourism Certification in America Abigail Rome Tierra Vista Tours & Consulting

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Rise of Green Labeling Why Now?

Worldwide awareness that climate change is precipitated by human activities Increased concern for sustainability Increased interest in green business practices and corporate sustainability Increased recognition of fair trade and eco-labeling Corporations and government are encouraging sustainability through Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) requirements

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Why Eco-labeling for Tourism?

Growth and relative ease of travel Recognition of travel and tourism’s contribution to global climate change Awareness of negative impacts – environmental, social, cultural, economic – of tourism Rise of ecotourism Claims of green-washing

Recent survey shows that ¾ of travelers use conservation programs in hotels when made aware of them Many hotels put up the no wash sheets and towels signs but don’t always abide

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Where is the Demand for Green Labeling?

Not from individual travelers.

Rather, it comes from Governments – e.g. beginning Jan. 1, 2008 state agency and dept. employees from Florida will be required to stay at FL Green Lodging hotels Non-profit organizations promoting sustainability, environment and free-trade/social equity issues Green websites, newsletters and blogs LOHAS marketplace Green businesses

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Hotel Chains Grapple with Meaning of Green Marriott, Starwood Face Confusing Products, Standards In Bids to Make Lodging Environmentally Friendly

By TAMARA AUDI September 11, 2007

“As more hotels try to become more environmentally friendly, in part to satisfy customers they say are increasingly demanding it, they find themselves in unfamiliar territory cluttered with "green" products and hype -- but without many reliable guideposts for what's effective.

Major corporations including Marriott International Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp. are studying options as they make decisions on far-reaching environmental initiatives intended to appeal to consumers with a conscience -- and at the same time save on water, energy and waste, without downgrading the quality of service.�

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Why Tourism Certification?

What is Certification?

•

• •

A voluntary procedure that assesses, audits and gives written assurance that a facility, product, process or service meets specific standards.

Credible programs include third-party validation.

Awards a marketable logo to applicants who meet or exceed baseline standards.

Third party validation may be review of desk or self assessments or – much better – may involve site visits or audits

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Why Tourism Certification?

• • • • • • •

Provide tourists with environmentally and socially responsible choices/ “brands” Increase public awareness of responsible business practices Raise industry standards Provide technical assistance to businesses Protect resource base for tourism Provide marketing advantage to those certified For governments, to protect a country’s image

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Sustainable Tourism Certification Programs

In total there are at least 70 different Sustainable Tourism certification programs, and they’re growing rapidly Number of certified businesses - accommodation, beaches, restaurants, operators, destinations/attractions – could be 10,000 From Herbert Hamele

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Who Runs the Programs?

Consumer NGOs

3 10

Environmental NGOs

12

Private Companies

20

Government

25

NGOs

30

Tourism NGO 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

% of total (60 certification programs) Source: WTO, Voluntary Initiative, 2002

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Examples of Certification Programs in Europe Das Österreichische Umweltzeichen für Tourismusbetriebe

Green Tourism Business Scheme

Milieubarometer Ecolabel Luxemburg Den Groenne Noegle

Nordic Swan La Clef Verte

Legambiente Turismo

Green Certificate Ö+ Steinbock

Latvia

Cataluna Ecolabel

Blue Flag International

www.yourvisit.info

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Three Tourism Certification Programs in Latin America Country

Year of Foundation

Certified Services

Certification for Sustainable Tourism CST

Costa Rica

1997

Hotels, pilot plan for tour operators

Green Deal™ Deal™

Guatemala

1999

Lodging services

SmartVoyager

Galapagos, Ecuador

2000

Tourism Boats

Name

Logo

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Examples of Certification Programs in the Americas

Latin America & The Caribbean

Consolidated In development

89 members in 23 countries

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Greening the Tourism Industry in North America – a trajectory Green Meetings Initiatives

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Green Meetings Initiative Green Meeting Industry Council Blue Green Meetings Meeting Professionals International Fairmont Hotels & Resorts - EcoMeet Program Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Green Hotels Initiatives

CERES Green Hotel Initiative "Green" Hotels Association Best Green Hotels Green Lodging News

Hotels Standards and Certification Programs

On May 1, EPA changed its acquisition rules to give preference to facilities which consume less and manage their resources in environmentally positive ways.

Green Meeting Industry Council is working to provide meeting professionals with: education resources certification opportunities Blue Green Meetings - developing environmental 'best practices' for all sectors of the tourism industry.

MPI is committed to reducing the environmental and climate impact of meetings around the world.

Canada - The Green Planner for Conferences, Large Meetings and Events To assist in the organizing of green conferences, large meetings and events, a "Planner" checklist is provided.

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Developing 'best practices' for meetings planners and hosts Offering ‘best practices’ for meeting suppliers Provides links and resources Offers case studies of “Success Stories”

Best practices for meetings planners and suppliers Links and resources

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Green Hotel Initiative designed to increase and demonstrate market demand for environmentally responsible hotel services. • Educating purchasers of hotel services about environmental performance of lodging providers, • Creating vehicles for purchasers to express their demand for these services • Providing mechanisms for hotels to communicate their environmental performance.

Convened by CERES, an environmental coalition dedicated to advancing corporate responsibility, GHI is a multi-stakeholder project committed to increasing green lodging and meeting options by catalyzing market demand. Involved collaboration among business, the hotel industry, non-governmental organizations, labor, academia, government and environmental advocates.

The leaders behind the GHI - including representatives from business, the hotel industry, labor, academia, and environmental advocacy organizations - have identified the tremendous potential for the combined buying power of corporate and organizational purchasers of hotel services focus is on getting large corporations to use green hotels for business travel and conferences

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Best Practices Survey Criteria to help purchasers assess hotel environmental commitment and performance

Commitment and Awareness Energy Efficiency Solid Waste Minimization Air and Water Quality Water Conservation Environmental Purchasing

PARTIAL LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: Barry H. Dimson, Inc. ● Bass Hotels ● *CERES ● Co-op America ● Conference Board's Business ● Enterprises for Sustainable Travel ● Conservation International ● Cornell University ● *EcoLogical Solutions ● Energy Star, EPA ● Fairmont Hotels ● Ford Motor Co. ● General Motors ● *Green Seal, Inc. ● Jacksonville & The Beaches, FL CVB ● L.C. Clark Publishing ● *Nike, Inc. ● Oceans Blue Foundation ● Pollution Prevention Assistance Division, GA DNR ● *PA Consulting Group ● *Project Planet ● *Saunders Hotel Group ● Starwood Hotels and Resorts ● Swissôtel ● *US EPA

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Founded 1993

135-page booklet of guidelines and ideas for “greening” properties and saving money Catalog of Environmental Products for the Lodging Industry Towel rack hangers and sheet changing cards

GHA says hotels save an estimated $6.50 a day per occupied room and a total of 5 percent on utilities.

Much of the green assistance is cost savings Anyone can pay $100/year and market themselves as green with flags, posters, cards, etc.

No criteria and no auditing

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Environmentally Friendly Hotels 2772 hotels around the world Travelers evaluate hotels by submitting their rankings of 33 environmental criteria on web-based checklist. They can also provide text-based reviews.

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More States Should Develop Green Lodging Certification Programs

By Glenn Hasek 07/29/2007 Beginning January 1, 2008, state agency and department employees in Florida will be required to stay at Florida Green Lodging hotels when they travel. An Executive Order was recently issued by Governor Charlie Crist. Florida currently has 25 hotels certified as Green Lodging properties with 46 applications in process.

All Stays. Com -- Has a green hotels and resorts category. No mention of the criteria that are used or how they are rated. Also, the site advertises non-green hotels on same page as selected green ones.

“Earlier this year, the EPA announced that hotels hosting its functions would have to prove that they have certain types of environmental programs in place. The General Services Administration, which has a much greater impact on government employee travel, announced that it will also screen for green programs.”

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Our Commitment Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is committed to environmental protection and sustainability guided by our very own Green Partnership Program, a company-wide stewardship program which strives to minimize our properties’ operational impact on the environment through resource conservation and best practices.

Community: Environment: Waste reduction ·Local partnerships Resource conservation Habitat and species protection Hotel Staff and Guests: · Green team · Guest feedback

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Mission Statement - support a sustainable world EarthCare Commitment - to environmental responsibility EarthCare Products and Practices - every hotel adopts standard environmentally friendly products and practices with high-impact and benefit to our planet For example: Cleaning Supplies Soy Inks and Recycled Paper: Organic Beverages Towel/Linen Reuse Recycling Energy Conservation Water Conservation Best Practices Donation programs Shop Kimpton for eco-friendly products

Every June and July, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) team up to help create parks in cities across America.

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Green Hotel Eco News A roundup of news of how hotels are becoming more eco-friendly

Four Seasons Saunders Group Hilton Hotels InterContinental Group Wyndham Hotels Marriott - reduced greenhouse gases by 70,000 tons; saved 65 percent on hotel lighting costs; joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program

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ARAMARK

Purchasing environmentally preferable products and services Offering organic, sustainable and environmentally friendly food products Conserving energy and water Protecting and improving water quality Reducing waste and implementing waste management strategies Using sustainable building design Using efficient and environmentally friendly transportation Educating and train our staff Educating our customers Establishing partnerships

Now they have about 10 in parks certified by Green Seal. No others by Green Seal Want all properties in National Parks certified.

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2015 Environmental Vision Goals: Fossil Fuels - Decrease fossil fuel usage by 30 percent (baseline year 2000).

Renewable Energy - Increase usage of renewable energy to provide 7% of total

electricity consumed.

Emissions - Decrease greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions by 30% (baseline year 2000).

Solid Waste - Divert from landfill 50 percent of all solid waste generated.

Sustainable Cuisine - Increase purchases of sustainable food items to 50 percent of all company wide food expenditures.

Transportation - Achieve company wide CAFÉ (corporate average fuel economy) standard of 35 miles per gallon for all passenger vehicles purchased annually.

Hazardous Waste - Generate zero hazardous waste.

Xanterra’s Environmental

Water - Decrease water usage by 25 percent (baseline year 2003).

Management System Policy

33 hotels and lodges with more than 5,000 guest rooms, 50 retail stores, 64 restaurants, 3 marinas, 5 golf courses, and 1,800 campsites external, third-party verification and certification of specific environmental programs Completed certification of all its Ecologix EMS's at all national park operations to the ISO 14001 international management system standard LEED program Environmental Protection Agency audits locations that participate in the National Environmental Performance Track program.

Florida Department of Environmental Quality Clean Marina Certification of marina operations Marine Stewardship Council

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ENERGY STAR For Hospitality

Energy efficiency planning Guidelines for energy management.

Energy tracking with the Hospitality Benchmarking Starter Kit Online training sessions Communications materials Resources about other energy management initiatives in the hospitality industry ENERGY STAR qualified products

There are 242 Energy Star labeled hotels. Over 200 are Marriott’s Also, there is a partnership with the American Hotel and Lodging Association

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Tourism Certification Programs in the United States and Canada Global, Bi-national or National Programs

Green Globe – global Ecotel – U.S. LEEDS – U.S. & Canada Green Seal – U.S. Audubon Green Leaf™ Eco-Rating Program – U.S & Canada Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP) – U.S.

State

Maine New Hampshire Vermont Florida California Wisconsin Michigan Saskatchewan Ecotourism Accreditation Program

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Commonalities of U.S.-based Tourism Certification programs

Focus on the lodging industry Free or low cost to hotels & businesses Most (esp. state programs) are developed and funded through state governments – exclusively or in large part Offer technical assistance and basic marketing Address environmental issues - exclusively or predominantly

Supported by gov. - environmental protection department, waste management or energy offices, or the tourism and visitors bureau.

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What benefits does tourism certification provide businesses?

Cost reductions – increased resource efficiency Improved green image, market distinction - guest loyalty Marketing and PR Improved service and management Increased staff morale Better relationships with community Training and technical assistance

It’s hip to be green

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Greening the Lodging Industry Program 1989 Green Seal Lodging Properties Standard (GS-33) Waste Minimization, Reuse and Recycling Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management Management of Fresh Water Resources Waste Water Management Hazardous Substances Environmentally and Socially Sensitive Purchasing Policy Assists governments and companies with green lodging standards and programs: Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service concessionaires (e.g. Aramark, Forever Resorts)

Education – presentations, articles, etc.

Green Build wanted hotels to recommend in Chicago. City got involved. Several hotels will be certified by Green Seal by the time of the conference.

Hotels in Portland, OR were recently certified. Michael Lours – Doubletree conference center has gone way beyond Green Seal certification.

Helped CERES develop their best practices list Early on - PA required all employees to stay at green hotels and encouraged hotels to become certified. Didn’t pan out so many haven’t kept it up.

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Audubon Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program 1998 13 in U.S. and 44 in Canada

Energy Efficiency Resource Conservation Pollution Prevention Environmental Management

Reduce operating expenses Increase your market share Access tools for your environmental plan

Emphasizes cost savings through more efficient energy, water, and waste disposal systems 1 -5 levels which you can use in market as an Audubon Green Leaf eco-rated hotel.

An auditor will survey within a year.

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40 participating hotels in 2 categories:

Environmental Partners or Green Hotels

Environmental Policy and Mission Environmental Management Plan Energy Efficiency upgrades Using recycled products Towel/linen reuse Recycle and offer guests access and info Composting Using more environmentally friendly products

Modest budget of $5000/year Self assessment as a partner. Not sure what is needed to be a green hotel. Most hotel websites don’t indicate certification. A few do.

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Florida Green Lodging Program 2004 36 properties

•Commitment to Environmental Performance •Water Conservation •Energy Efficiency •Waste Reduction •Clean Air Practices The governor has called for all state agency employees to use only Green Lodging certified hotels for conferences, meetings, and travel, beginning in January 2008.

Covers all types of hotels from B&Bs to large resorts.

Three levels: Environmental assessment and then environmental improvement.

Green team established which establishes baselines and monitors performance of indicators. Outside auditor conducts short onsite inspection and, if the criteria are met, One Palm is given. Two Palm certification is awarded to hotels that maintain their One Palm status for at least a year, demonstrate additional improvements in environmental performance, and pass another onsite audit Site visit from Environmental Assessor is required for level 2 and level 3 requires continuous improvement Only 1 of 36 has 2 palms Listed on websites and state’s list of preferred hotels 36 certified hotels and nearly 100 more applicants. Just a tiny fraction of Florida’s lodging sector which has some 4700 hotels and motels accommodating over 40 million visitors a year.

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New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program 2004-05 7 hotels plus 3 restaurants 3 levels: Energy Efficiency Endorsing Partner Water Conservation Environmental Partner Environmental Champion Waste Reduction Hazardous Waste Reduction Education

Main benefits are educational opportunities, environmental resources, contacts and networking and marketing Only Environmental Champion requires 3rd party audit Will be getting PR support from State and from Yankee Magazine Program is run on grants from the four utilities in New Hampshire. The main one is Public Services of NH which covers 75% of state

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Travel Green Wisconsin 2004 ca. 100 businesses

Communication and Education (Customers, Employees, Public) Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling Accommodations Attractions Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Management Restaurants Water Conservation and Wastewater Management Shops Resorts Air Quality Convention Centers Golf Courses Wildlife and Landscape Conservation and Management Campgrounds Transportation Marinas Tour Purchasing Operators/Leaders Events/Festivals Local Community Benefits

Most comprehensive of the state programas. Department of Tourism and the Wisconsin Environmental Initaitive formed a partnership that involved tourism businesses, NGOs, and government agencies Has about 100 businesses, half are accommodations Self assessment – one level Wisconsin Environmental Initiative will solicit feedback from random spot checks and customer comments Shows summaries of points scored of all hotels on website

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Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

California Green Lodging Program 2004 ca. 100 hotels

Leadership Level - highest level of program participation. They have a written environmental policy and meet all 7 criteria: Waste minimization, reuse and recycling Energy efficiency, conservation and management.

Efficient lighting Pest management Freshwater resource management.

Hazardous materials management.

Environmentally and socially sensitive purchasing policies.

Participation Level - entry level for the program.

Not on hotels’ websites Green Seal helped them developed criteria Field survey is required. Leadership level must get at least 300 points and Participation level 250 – 300 points.

CIWMB will help market

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Michigan Green Lodging Program 2006 8 hotels (5 Stewards and Leaders)

• • • • • • • •

Environmental Policy Communication and Education Air Quality Energy Efficiency Solid Waste Reduction Toxics and Hazardous Waste Water Conservation Purchasing

3 levels, Partner, Steward, and Leader Steward and Leader need on-site audit.

Partner is self assessment. No charge – energy office pays

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Maine Green Lodging Certification Program 2007 47 hotels

Reduce energy Conserve water Minimize waste Use environmentally preferable cleaners Educate the public and their customers on reducing environmental impact

Self assessment and Pollution Prevention Program Manager will randomly select businesses for verification appointments through out the year. These visits will be scheduled and not “unannounced”. Listed on Visit Maine website. Not on individual hotel websites.

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Green Key Eco-Rating Program

Canada >600 hotels

Energy conservation Water conservation Solid waste management Hazardous waste management Indoor air quality Community outreach Building infrastructure Land use Environmental management

Entirely self-administered, on-line with 140 questions. No audits now, but hopes to do them within a year.

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HORIZONS ACCREDITATION PROGRAM ECOTOURISM VALUES INCLUDE: • A personal experience with nature and human culture that leads to greater understanding and appreciation.

• All around best professional practice.

• Respect for diversity of human and wildlife cultures in their respective home-place environments.

• Accuracy in marketing that leads to realistic expectations.

• Providing economic benefits toward maintenance, preservation and enhancement of the host resource base.

• Respect for nature and for resident species.

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Saskatchewan Ecotourism Accreditation System 1998 10 operators and lodges plus 10 provincial parks

ADMINISTRATION AND BUSINESS PRACTICES THE CORE OF AN ECOTOURISM OPERATION INTERPRETATION COMMUNITY ECONOMIC BENEFITS TANGIBLE RETURN TO CONSERVATION IMPACT MONITORING AND QUALITY CONTROL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ISSUES PROTECTED STATUS OF HOST AREA(S) SPECIAL/UNIQUE PLACES AND ATTRACTIONS QUALITY OF INTERPRETATION QUALIFICATION OF STAFF SUSTAINABLE ACCOMMODATION ACTIVITY BASED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS FOODS

Field visit required

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Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program™ (STEP) 2007 For operators, attractions, accommodations, and transportation service providers

Sustainability Policy and Performance Environmental Impacts Socio-Cultural Impacts Economic Impacts Innovative Best Practices

Teamed up with NSF International, a company with certification and auditing expertise 5 levels Outside audit needed for 3 and above Applicants need to develop a sustainability policy, objectives, goals and their own measures Have several B&Bs, a tour operator, a hotel etc. that have completed self assessment and are to be audited imminently.

Are also working with networks of operators, hotel or resort chains on developing a training curriculum using their criteria. Education of entire networks so that all members can go through process – from self assessment to eventual auditing.

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Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program™ (STEP)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management and Reduction Solid Waste Management Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Freshwater Consumption Reduction Wastewater Management Energy Efficiency, Conservation and Management Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation Land Use Planning and Management Air Quality Protection and Noise Reduction Preserving the Social Norms and Cultures of Local and Indigenous Communities Providing Economic Benefits to Local and Indigenous Communities Responsible Purchasing

Teamed up with NSF International, a company with certification and auditing expertise 5 levels Outside audit needed for 3 and above Applicants need to develop a sustainability policy, objectives, goals and their own measures Have several B&Bs, a tour operator, a hotel etc. that have completed self assessment and are to be audited imminently.

Are also working with networks of operators, hotel or resort chains on developing a training curriculum using their criteria. Education of entire networks so that all members can go through process – from self assessment to eventual auditing.

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Challenges for Businesses considering Certification

Economics: Costs of becoming certified Lack of perceived marketing advantage so far Difficulties in changing corporate mentalities Difficulties in training and convincing staff Many hotels do not want to publicize the fact that they are “green” or are certified. They are: afraid of being accused of “greenwashing” feel that it would hurt their image Skepticism and confusion because of lack of national standards

Because “there’s no agreed upon national standard,” notes Glenn Hasek, editor of Green Lodging News, its difficult “for even the most environmentally savvy traveler to tell the green from the ‘greenwashed’ hotels that claim to be more ‘eco-friendly’ than they are.”[i] [i] “Eco-lodging,” SmartMoney.

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Challenges for Sustainable Tourism Certification

Insufficient consumer awareness of sustainability issues in tourism and of tourism certification Insufficient marketing of programs Lack of standardization or harmonization of programs No internationally accepted criteria for sustainable tourism certification No overarching accreditation body

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Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC)

Promote consumer and industry awareness.

Guide the establishment and development of certification programs.

Lobby for political and financial support for accredited certification programs.

Provide globally accepted standards and guidelines and support networks for product development.

Promote a powerful global brand with marketing value to complement current marketing strategies.

Increase credibility of certification programs through accreditation.

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Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas Promote sustainable tourism in the region, through the strengthening of certification initiatives, based on: mutual

respect and recognition joint efforts harmonization of systems the sharing of information and experiences.

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Network’s Progress

89 members Representation from 23 countries.

Identification of successful marketing strategies.

Joint catalogue of certified services.

Development of a baseline standard comparing all certification requirements.

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Network’s Baseline Criteria • •

Compliance with legislation Resource consumption (water, energy)

•

Waste disposal / pollution

•

Biodiversity conservation

•

“Green” and local purchasing

•

Community development

•

Respect local cultures

•

Working conditions

•

Environmental education

•

Responsible marketing

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Proposed Sustainable Tourism National Forum

A country level body to strengthen the sustainable tourism activity at national level through:

analysis and generation of proposals technical training strategic alliances other actions promoting tourist sustainability

Each Forum democratically elects a representative for the Network Assembly, the National Liaison.

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The World Heritage Alliance (WHA)

To promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities around the world.

The partners believe conscientious efforts by the travel industry and its customers can contribute directly to nature conservation, historic preservation, and poverty reduction through responsible tourism.

Working with a multi-stakeholder group to develop basic criteria that all can agree upon, and to – even more fundamentally – define terms and develop a language and principles that all can work from/with.

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U.S. Web-based Travel Providers Embrace Carbon Neutral programs

Buzzword of the Year Carbon Neutral: Raising the Ante on Eco-Tourism •Travelocity – The Conservation Fund – tree planting •Expedia – Terra Pass - renewable energy generation, capture of methane from cow manure, and the purchase and retirement of credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange

•Orbitz – Carbon Fund - renewable energy development, re-forestation projects and other initiatives

At Travelocity.com, you first have to make sure you find the link at the bottom of the page. If you go right to booking a flight, the "Go Zero" option doesn't seem to be presented to you again. If you do start your visit to the site by clicking on Be a Hero, Go Zero, you're given the opportunity to offset your emissions at a cost of about $10/person (covering flight, a one-night hotel stay, and a one-day car rental). The site doesn't distinguish between trips of different lengths, although variables like triplength and number of stops have a dramatic effect on actual emissions. The website doesn't even tell you how much carbon dioxide you're offsetting for $10. The offsets themselves are purchased through the Conservation Fund and result from planting trees. As a result, the offsets probably won’t actually happen for decades, since it takes trees quite a while to grow. This doesn’t mean forestry offsets are lower quality than other offsets, but the time factor is something that the Travelocity.com website does not clarify.

At Expedia.com, the consumer is consistently presented with the opportunity to purchase offsets when moving through the ticketing process. You're given the choice of paying from $5.99 to offset 1,000 pounds of GHG emissions, to $29.99 to offset 5,000 pounds of GHG emissions, based on the length of your flight (you choose the number; it's not automatically calculated based on your ticket). Differentiating cost by flight length is much more accurate than Travelocity's average trip.

Expedia’s offsets are offered by TerraPass; the projects listed as supplying the offsets are: renewable energy generation from a wind farm, capture of methane from cow manure at a dairy farm, and the purchase and retirement of credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange.

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Orbitz Launches Eco-friendly Travel Site a comprehensive and evolving resource for travelers who want to find everything from eco-friendly hotels to environmental volunteer opportunities. The eco-travel micro-site will have access to the following information and tools:

Articles on eco-travel Top eco-friendly destinations Top “green” hotels Eco Volunteer Opportunities Eco-travel tips

Eco-Friendly Hotel Criteria: •Use a natural source of energy •Use environmentally-friendly and safe products •Contribute $$ from each hotel reservation to an environmental organization •Use of energy conserving devices

Barest of criteria

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Final Messages

Sustainable Tourism Certification in North America is finally picking up speed.

However, the focus is mostly on “brown” environmental issues, not on “green” nor on cultural and social responsibility.

More accountability is needed. The demand must come from travelers, as well as from the industry There’s bound to be continued growth and consolidation of tourism certification as: international initiatives continue to gain recognition and support the big players in the hotel industry buy in travel retailers and web-based sales promote sustainability the media, especially websites, educate travelers and the tourism industry government agencies require employees to use certified providers

EPA announced that it would only use hotels that have an environmental program in place. Even more significant, the General Services Administration directed that all government travel should “screen for green” – that is, seek to use eco-certified hotels

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Thanks for listening.

Abi Rome Tierra Vista Tours & Consulting abirome@earthlink.net

Feel free to add to this presentation by sharing your programs, experiences, frustrations, ideas.

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