Leading the Industry

In May, the World Travel & Tourism Council handed out its Tourism for Tomorrow annual awards, recognizing and promoting the best practices in tourism development, with a focus on environmental sustainability. Winners included The Great Barrier Reef Australia, Aspen Skiing Co., and Lindblad Expeditions.

• THE GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK, winner of the WTTC Destination Award, runs one of the world's most recognizable tourist destinations and was honored for achieving a “well-managed and sustainable industry as well as significantly improving environmental, cultural, and business outcomes in the Marine Park.”

• ASPEN SKIING CO., which runs ski mountains in the Aspen/Snowmass area in Colorado, was given the Conservation Award for its ability to run a large-scale tourism operation with a sound environmental management plan. Aspen was recognized as the first U.S. ski resort to buy wind power, use biodiesel, and build certified green buildings. One hundred percent of Aspen's electricity comes from renewable energy sources. The company has won more than 30 awards for its environmental programs.

• LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS of New York City pioneered eco-tourism. The company, which received the Global Business Tourism Award, runs travel programs into areas such as the Galapagos, Antarctica, Alaska, and the Arctic, and focuses on sustainable and innovative tourism practices that include philanthropy, conservation, and education. It has started the Galapagos Conservation Fund, which has raised more than $3.5 million to support local projects, and has received several awards for its environmental efforts on behalf of the Galapagos archipelago.

Other hospitality-related companies have also been recognized for their sustainability efforts. Fairmont Hotels, a leader in this area, won the 2006 WTTC Global Business Tourism Award. The Walt Disney Co., which is greening its resort hotels and has started an Environmentality Summit to encourage solutions-oriented discussions in the company about environmental issues, was named one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations (announced in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland), along with British Airways, which allows customers to volunteer to help to offset the carbon dioxide emission from their flights by contributing to an environmental trust.

Greener Site Selection

Planning a green meeting starts while you are evaluating sites. Consider the following:

1. If you have enough lead time, select destinations closest to the majority of your meeting attendees to minimize air travel.

2. Look for a host city with an airport that can most efficiently handle your attendee base by maximizing the number of direct flights from which attendees can choose to get to the destination.

3. If it's a regional or drive-to meeting, encourage carpooling.

4. Choose green conference facilities and hotels that are as energy-efficient as possible. For example, venues that use tubular skylights can illuminate interior spaces with natural light and dramatically reduce electricity usage. And venues can install sensors that shut down HVAC systems in specific spaces when they are empty, or set up energy-efficiency programs with local energy companies.

Source: Green Meeting Industry Council

Visit our new Green Meetings section!