by Bill Furlong, CEO
Dr. Pat Long, Director of the Center for Sustainable Tourism at East Carolina University presented a number of issues, resources and ideas for vacation rental managers committed to making a positive impact on sustainability issues.
Why spend time on this? Of course, to do good and to do well (financially). Or just do it for the snowmen...the cute guys at the right rallying for sustainability :-)
What are managers doing today? Some examples include:
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Water saving measures in drought environments.
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Achieving "zero waste" in your business.
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Appointing a "green committee" for your agency.
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Doing a sustainability audit. Here's a strong example of a sustainability report from a small but progressive Colorado hotel.
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Buying carbon offsets (or encouraging your guests to do so).
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Replacing lighting with compact fluorescents.
12 categories of sustainability:
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reduce freshwater consumption
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waste water management
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energy conservation and management
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ecosystem conservation
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preserve indigenous cultures
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reduce solid waste
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land use planning
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responsible purchasing
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economic benefits for local communities
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air quality and noise reduction
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educate employees and clients
Making it happen is the interaction of business operations, traveler behavior and public policy. An initiative focused on energy consumption in tourism is Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative.
Managers interested in a checklist with ideas that they can put into action can get it from the www.sustainabletourism.org site. Click here for the checklist.
Who is committing to this? More organizations than can be listed. Here are just a few...
EPA has a green lodging initiative.
PhoCusWright recently did a special report on green tourism.
The TIA launched www.travelgreen.org to provide a snapshot of initiatives.
www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org is a global partnership with minimum criteria that any tourism provider should meet.
