TerraCurve.com - Go beyond green.

Responsible business practices meets adventure travel in Costa Rica

Joe Ascanio — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:45:44 +0000

International conservation group Rainforest Alliance, North American tour operator Gap Adventures and the nonprofit voluntourism organization Planeterra joined forces in a new partnership to create opportunities for sustainable tourism in Costa Rica to promote adventure travel companies who actively partake in responsible business practices.

The joint partnership gives Costa Rican hotel owners committed to eco-tourism and sustainability a new way to promote their adventure travel services.

With this agreement, Gap Adventures and Planeterra join 40 other international tour operators across the globe that are now working with the Rainforest Alliance.

The two companies will each promote to their customers those Costa Rican tourism businesses that have either achieved a Tourism Sustainability Certificate awarded by ICT (the Costa Rican Tourism Board) or that are part of the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Tourism program. Also, both Gap Adventures and Planeterra guarantee that at least 50% of their Costa Rican tourism businesses are actively working toward sustainability goals.

“This agreement with Gap Adventures and Planeterra will have a major impact, as Gap Adventures is considered to be the largest independent adventure travel company in the world,” said Cristina Suhr, Marketing Manager for the Rainforest Alliance. “It will help us increase the number of travelers who will become aware of Costa Rica’s conservation efforts. It will also increase business opportunities for those hotels that are truly committed to achieving sustainability.”

Also, as an additional part of the agreement, the Rainforest Alliance will periodically organize research trips to Costa Rica for trip development representatives from Gap Adventures and Planeterra so that they can familiarize themselves with new destinations and businesses that might become part of future travel packages and community voluntourism projects the companies offer.

Rainforest Alliance will also provide the tour operators with contacts for all of its colleagues in Costa Rica who have signed commitments to sustainability as well as a list of certified tourism businesses or those that are implementing good sustainable management practices.

“As we continue to grow, it is increasingly important to work with the Rainforest Alliance to keep the focus on our original goal of offering innovative ways of showing people a sustainable world,” said Bruce Poon Tip, CEO of Gap Adventures. “It is even more relevant to continuously assess how we can do things better. Working with the Rainforest Alliance is a big step in that direction.”

Too big to fail: tourism industry biggest factor in climate change

Joe Ascanio — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:39:34 +0000

The travel and tourism industry is a tremendous benefactor of global economic development.

In 2009 alone, the travel and tourism economy will make up 9.3 percent of the global GDP, while having generated over 210 million jobs (7.4 global employment).

The previous year, 922 million international tourist arrivals were recorded, contributing $944 billion in international tourism receipts.

With such a far-reaching economic span, travel and tourism has been positioned it as a leading player in a strong, united, global effort at combating climate change. With such a huge economic “footprint”, the industry needs to proactively adopt industry-wide best practices to combat climate change.

Mutual dependency

The sustainability of the travel and tourism industry and that of the environment are mutually dependent. While travel and tourism are often lauded as global conduits for peace and prosperity, as well as social and environmental awareness, economic and environmental adaptation simply cannot happen without them.

Travel and tourism, as evident on this site every day, actively engages in the protection of fragile ecosystems and indigenous communities – allowing the industry to contribute towards the successful advancement of poverty alleviation in developing countries – a major topic of discussion in climate change litigation.

The travel and tourism industry needs to continue to develop sustainable solutions that are at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change, especially those that foster the exchange of innovative technology to advance carbon reduction.

Global sectoral approaches, supported by a level econmic playing field, will allow the industry to efficiently pursue the scale of change for progressive transformation to occur.

Commitment to change in a green economy

In order to give travel and tourism companies necessary transparency to make informed green business decisions – many of which can strongly influence a nation’s economic development - a sound framework is critical.

A solid Copenhagen Agreement can and should provide a unique opportunity to set the foundation upon which a resilient green economy can be developed. However, in order to make this happen, public and private sector partnership is essential.

Moving forward fast are private and public sector industry groups the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organization. Jointly, the two world bodies are aligning efforts to unify a fragmented travel and tourism industry, speaking with one voice on the critical issue of climate change.

Both organizations are hosting a side event during the COP-15 negotiations on December 18th - Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change – Perspectives from the Travel and Tourism Sector – that will highlight innovators from the private and public sector from across the world and all sectors of the industry.

“UNWTO’s Davos Declaration Process on climate change response paved the way to position the tourism industry as a relevant player of global climate neutrality,” said UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Taleb Rifai. “Joining forces for tourism to speak as one in Copenhagen responds furthermore to a key recommendation of the UNWTO Roadmap for Recovery, highlighting the importance of building a strong public-private dialogue and boosting strong partnerships.”

Under the leadership of WTTC and UNWTO, examples of best practice will be presented in order to communicate to policy-makers and the rest of the industry travel and tourism’s proactive approach to carbon emissions’ mitigation and adaptation.

“The great cross-cutting impact of our industry makes it necessary to establish and maintain this close collaboration,” added Rifai. “I am confident that together we will contribute to a better positioning of travel and tourism in the global climate response agenda.”

“The travel and tourism industry urges global leaders in the wake of the Copenhagen Agreement – regardless of its final form – to actively engage the private sector in translating the internationally-agreed framework into transparent, supportive, and progressive national and regional policies,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC president and CEO. “The travel and tourism private sector has always sought a deeper working relationship with governments, and the anticipated Copenhagen Agreement will provide an excellent opportunity to further develop this relationship.”

CNN helps strengthen world tourism economy

Joe Ascanio — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:31:17 +0000

CNN International has partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to collaborate on various industry events to ensure the best breed of knowledge and latest data is imparted to sector professionals.

The two will work together to share content, join forces on industry newsletters, and cross-promote services across each other’s respective platforms.

The announcement of this partnership comes at a time when a global sense of cautious optimism for 2010 seems to be emerging, although the economic climate is still far from stable.

“A significant step towards highlighting the economic, cultural, social, environmental, and political potentials of travel and tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Taleb Rifai. “The travel and tourism industry continues to grow, employing hundreds of millions of people, contributing to the socio-economic development of the world’s poorest countries.

“Yet, its future depends on the realization of its potential and its integration into the global economic and political agenda. This partnership provides the opportunity to maximize tourism’s benefits in a highly-competitive market through the support of CNN Task Group’s destination marketing as an additional support element.”

Up to the TASK

The TASK Group, a team of external experts in tourism and economic development, works closely with CNN to support clients to create impactful tourism communications solutions.

Now in its third year of global operations, the TASK Group celebrates assisting more than 65 Ministries of Tourism and tourism industry leaders across the world with strategic advice to enhance their nation and brand-building efforts and navigate crisis issues. ETurboNews is pleased to be an exclusive media partner with the CNN Task Group.

Rani R. Raad, SVP, CNN International Ad Sales said: “CNN is proud to join with the UNWTO to demonstrate our commitment to the development and growth of the travel and tourism sector. We work closely with country tourism ministries and are acutely aware of the importance of the industry as the global economy looks to repair itself. This partnership gives both organizations the opportunity to offer unique expertise at a critical time.”

The alliance will specifically include TASK support at key UNWTO member and general tourism sector initiatives, such as the UNWTO/South Africa International Summit on Tourism, Sport,and Mega-Events (February 24-26, 2010),ongoing activities such as the promotion of the UNWTO Roadmap for Recovery, or regular campaigns such as World Tourism Day (September 27).

Here comes the sun: 2010 expected to be hottest year yet

Joe Ascanio — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:24:16 +0000

According to scientific predictions made by the Met Office, 2010 will be the world’s warmest year on record with man-made climate change a huge factor.

Natural weather patterns will play less of a role than they did in 1998, the current warmest year, as El Niño, the cyclical heating of the Pacific Ocean, will be far weaker than it was 12 years ago.

The Met Office predicts that the warming effect of greenhouse gas emissions will more than make up for El Niño’s shortcomings – while cautioning that a record year in 2010 will depend upon whether or not the current El Niño began to decline earlier than normal or there was a large volcanic eruption.

Numbers rising

At the COP15 summit, the Met Office announced that it expected the global average temperature next year to be almost 0.6C warmer than the 1961 to 1990 average. It also forecasts an annual average of 14.58C compared with 14.52C in 1998.

If correct, the predicted temperature increase will be a huge blow to climate change skeptics, many of whom, armed with the still-argued “Climategate” emails, base their arguments on the fact that the temperature has not returned to the 1998 peak.

The Met Office also predicts that half the years between 2010 and 2019 will also be warmer than 1998.

“If 2010 turns out to be the hottest year on record it might go some way towards exploding the myth, spread by the climate conspiracy theorists, that we’re experiencing global cooling,” said Ben Stewart, of Greenpeace.“In reality the world is getting hotter, possibly a lot hotter, and humans are causing it.”

The Global Warming Policy Foundation, which claims man-made climate change has been exaggerated, accused the Met Office of making a “political intervention” in the international negotiations taking place in Copenhagen. It said: “Suggestions by the Met Office that a warming trend will resume in the next year or two should be treated with reserve in light of the recognized difficulties in making such confident predictions.”

What are the world’s most ethical travel destinations?

Joe Ascanio — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:29:47 +0000

Ethical travel covers a vast criteria, spanning everything from environmental conservation to local community support. So, throughout this great blue and green globe, what places are getting them all right?

A new report by Ethical Traveler has identified to top 10 countries in the developing world that are quite simply doing the best job. These locations, set all over the globe, have made the best efforts to promote responsible travel via the protecting of natural environments and building a tourism industry that truly benefits the local communities.

“There’s no doubt that worldwide interest in mindful, responsible travel is growing—not only among travelers, but within the countries that host us,” says Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler and co-author of the report.

Ethical Traveler is an international alliance of travelers who believe that travel is a powerful tool for international goodwill and cultural understanding. The group seeks to harness the political and economic clout of tourism to support human rights and the environment. Ethical Traveler is a project of the Earth Island Institute.

“Now is the perfect time for savvy travelers and well-intentioned governments to evolve together, each encouraging the other. This is especially true in the developing world, where travel and tourism can be developed as lucrative, low-impact alternatives to forestry, mining, and the destruction of ocean habitats.”

Commitment to responsibility

In order to compile the list, Ethical Traveler did not exactly depend on popular opinion. The online resource compiled data from multiple sources, including the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, the Millennium Challenge Corp., and others.

Private interviews were also conducted with various NGO leaders.

“In drafting our report, we use scores of information sources—including publicly available data—to rate each country’s genuine commitment to environmental protection, social welfare and human rights,” said Christy Hoover, co-author of the report.

Making the grade

Rounding out Ethical Traveler’s Most Ethical Travel Destinations for 2010 list are, in alphabetical order:

Argentina
Belize
Chile
Ghana
Lithuania
Namibia
Poland
Seychelles
South Africa
Suriname

Check out the full report at: www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations.

What is the relationship between tourism and climate change in the developing world?

Joe Ascanio — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:01:09 +0000

With the COP15 Conference well underway this week, many are turning their attention to global tourism and its role in climate change, as well as its impact on developing nations.

Do changes in travel practices that benefit the environment negatively affect the economies of top, non-industrialized destinations?

The connection between climate change and international tourism presents a host of challenges, with a number of varying perspectives that identify how the role of tourism affects both the physical and political sides of the international climate debate.

Like all the other industries, international tourism has the responsibility to substantially reduce its greenhouse gas emissions; through transportation, accommodation and various activities in the destinations, the tourism sector causes about five percent of global carbon emissions.

However, to be fair to the entire world, the costs and structural changes associated with these emission reductions must not be at the expense of the world’s poorest people.

While international decision makers in tourism seem to agree on this principle, there are major differences with regard to implementation and priorities, as well as severe opposition from “rightwingers” who fear that American money will be used to support economies beyond our borders.

High sensitivity to change

The travel industry is classified as “highly climate sensitive”. For example, changes in climate have direct and immediate impacts on the length and quality of the seasons, which each affect travel behavior.

On a long term scale, climate change alters natural landscapes used by tourism; changing the infrastructure and services that can lead to economic setbacks or mass migration as well as political instability in the destinations.

And while tourists of the developed world will (hopefully) always have the freedom to choose, their adaptability to change will grow. If a particular destination goes from economic boom due to high tourism levels to political and social strife due to drought, natural disaster or famine, tourists will simply stop going there. There is very little the actual destination can do to fight this without the means and funds to properly combat the affects of climate change.

Lifestyle a key role

In modern society, travel has become a large part of our daily lives, both personally and professionally, with tourism generally considered a “right of passage” for the privileged; people finding and experiencing new places, cultures and lifestyles outside of their own. This sounds great ion the surface, yet, the ramifications of irresponsible travel behavior come with a high cost.

For instance, transportation emissions alone contribute to climate change – with about two thirds of tourism related emissions attributed to air and car transport. So, an easy fix would be to curb the transport process, right? Wrong. Non-industrialized countries – often top destinations for “experiential travel” and well off the beaten path – are highly dependent on the global tourism economy.

Yet to date, the tourism factor has not been properly represented.

Taking responsibility

Come 2012, the Kyoto Protocol will be replaced by a new international agreement – one which will hopefully come to light during the COP15 meetings that presents a clear set of targets for the tourism industry. This responsibility for real change lies with the industrialized nations of the world.

While climate change is in large part due to over-consumption of resources by a small part of the world‘s population (industrialized countries), the effects are far-reaching.

Industrialized nations need to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in order to still prevent the worst consequences of climate change, while implementing comprehensive adaptation measures in the regions most affected by the already-negative impacts of climate change.

For instance, for over ten years, the aviation sector of the travel industry has been exempt from mitigation-related regulations, even though it is the primary source of carbon emissions within the industry.

Fast forward to 2012, and we have a deep-rooted need for political pressure on the travel and aviation industry to pay a fair share of the climate-related costs, including the costs of mitigation to curb global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the costs of helping poor people to adapt to those consequences of climate change that cannot be prevented, such as natural disasters, food shortages and loss of land due to rising sea levels.

‘Climategate’ for Idiots: can we get back to reality now?

Joe Ascanio — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:02:32 +0000

A few days ago, I wrote an op-ed on the recent “Climategate” email scandal that not only lashed out at the stubborn skeptics and deniers, but also the scientific institutions purported to have committed the said “scandal”.

Here is a quick refresh of some of the things I wrote:

“The Climate Research Unit (CRU) scientists whose emails were “leaked” online made a huge mistake: being stupid. Regardless of the intent, no one, on either side of the aisle, will take them on their word again. The global warming feud is bitter and cold (that pun was slightly intended), and the actions of said scientists are entirely unacceptable. Immense pressure from an entire politically-driven industry intent on crushing their every effort is no excuse for bending the facts, or hiding them completely.

“Although I am typically the antagonist against any and all climate change deniers and/or skeptics – as they are generally either a mislead or misleading bunch devoted to greed and political gain – taken on the surface, said skeptics do have a point as well as a valid argument with regard to the statements made in these leaked emails.

“While whether or not the statements within the stolen emails were taken out of context is debatable, undeniable is the fact that their very presence has raised questions over whether or not the argument for global warming is valid.”

Now, I stand firmly with everything I wrote, especially that last sentence, but I would like to add a brief amendment in light of some recent “news” that has since hit the media.

As like many who are concerned with the plight of the world’s future in the face of climate change, I was perhaps overly assertive on placing negative blame on the scientists in question, while not having full insight into the depth of the naivete of the anti-global-warming crowd.

As it turns out, “whether or not the statements within the stolen emails were taken out of context is debatable” is now the topic of the day.

While the naysayers literally jumped at the chance to debunk all scientific study pertaining to the effects of climate change, yanking literally three sentences out of over 1,000 items of correspondence and deeming them a smoking gun, we proponents for the environmental movement side-stepped that debate entirely in a rush to defend the real science. Now, the debate is settled. At least, for the intelligent people out there. The idiots are still buying Hummers.

I won’t bore you with my own take of the evidence – as I recently came upon a brilliantly done video by way of the good folks over at EarthFirst.com (via The Huffington Post) that lays it all out completely.

Here is what they say:

“RealClimate debunked the claims, as did the Union of Concerned Scientists. DeSmogBlog smacked them down, too. But apparently, reading through all the articles that explain exactly how conspiracy theorists are wrong about the hacked emails that supposedly prove global warming to be a scam is too hard for most skeptics. So, we’d like to present this idiot-proof video: it’s easy to follow, even if you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

Some highlights of the video:

Amateur skeptics took 3 sentences of “scandal” entirely out of context without understanding the scientific terminology applied. Yes, “trick” and “decline” were actual proven scientific jargon that did NOT mean what they thought it meant.
Had these amateur skeptics bothered to read (or publicize) the sentences before and after the sentences in question, they would have gotten the full story in FAVOR of scientific proof of climate change.
“Lack of warming at the moment” references last year’s solar cycle, NOT climate change effects. Again, a tidbit explained dutifully in the rest of the email.
Right wing-nuts citing the same three sentences again and again, without bothering to examine the rest of the documents for the full explanation.

At one point in the video, a climate change skeptic video-blogger smugly suggests that the use of word “decline” was suggesting the actual cooling of global temperatures. However, as evidence in the rest of the email and the subsequent studies it cited, “decline” was in reference to tree-ring data, NOT global temps.

Apparently, FOX News and Rush Limbaugh did not think that was worth sharing, and the video blogger never knew the difference.

As the video’s narrator states: “If I had little understanding of climate science, and little time to do any research, that’s probably what I would think too.”

Take a look at the video below – it is just under 10 minutes long, but I promise it is a very easy and often funny viewing.

Is COP15 on the right track, or a losing battle?

Joe Ascanio — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:26:28 +0000

With the Copenhagen Climate Conference off and running, former Vice President Al Gore takes a hard look at the numbers, and doesn’t like what he sees.

According to the Nobel Laureate and veteran climate campaigner whose name has become synonymous with global warming, Mr. Gore suggests that the targets to be outlined at COP15 are not nearly enough to combat the gloom and doom of climate change facing the planet today.

“Even if a deal is reached at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen…it will only be the first step towards the far more radical cuts that are needed in global carbon emissions,” said Gore.

According to Gore, world leaders need to enact far more drastic measures in order to avoid the worst ramifications of global warming.

“Even a final treaty will have to set the stage for other tougher reductions at a later date,” he said. “We have already overshot the safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.”

At present, the set goal for the summit is to stabilize CO2 emissions at or below 450 parts per million. This reduction is supposed to be enough of a change to prevent a rise in average global temps of 2 degrees Celsius. Gore, however, suggests that his goal is not sufficient to get the job done, and that a much surer bet would be a reduction to 350 parts per million.

“Are we doing enough?” he asked. “The answer is obviously no — 450 is not the right target. But it is presently seen as beyond the capacity of governments around the world. We are stretching the capacity of governments even to hit a 450 target.”

“We are gambling with the future of human civilisation in accepting odds that by any definition make our present course reckless . . . But it’s still the most likely path to success.”

Pressuring Obama

Gore, an advocate for President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, is challenging the President to include more stringent cuts in carbon emissions than the current ofering of a 17% reduction by 2020.

With the US being the planet’s second-largest carbon polluter, Gore states that country’s reduction figure is “weaker than it should be”. However, he suggests that the real roadblock for Obama is getting tough carbon regulation through the House of Representatives.

“I’m glad that he is putting reduction targets on the table. I wish that they were stronger but I recognise the difficulties he faces in the Senate.”

Playing the carbon markets

Gore supports an international carbon taxation system as a means to cut fossil-fuel emissions, yet is cautious that current political struggles will get in the way for a meaningful resolution.

With perhaps years to go until such a system can be put into place, the former Vice President suggests, for the interim, a carbon emissions trading system as a more realistic “first step”. He has been criticized for this viewpoint by many on both sides of the aisle who do not view carbon markets as a solution to climate change.

“The correct policy response will include both of these powerful tools,” he added. “But the degree of political difficulty associated with a carbon tax is a degree of difficulty much higher than the cap and trade approach.”

Put away the pitchforks, people – climate change is still real

Joe Ascanio — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:59:57 +0000

Last week’s climate change email “scandal” has sent both sides of the argument into an absolute tizzy. Let’s try to clear the air once and for all.

First, the obvious: generally, lying is bad. And anyone who lies in the pursuit of monetary or political gain in the face of a global debate should be called out on the spot and, if necessary, stripped of any power over process they may possess.

The Climate Research Unit (CRU) scientists whose emails were “leaked” online made a huge mistake: being stupid. Regardless of the intent, no one, on either side of the aisle, will take them on their word again. The global warming feud is bitter and cold (that pun was slightly intended), and the actions of said scientists are entirely unacceptable. Immense pressure from an entire politically-driven industry intent on crushing their every effort is no excuse for bending the facts, or hiding them completely.

Although I am typically the antagonist against any and all climate change deniers and/or skeptics – as they are generally either a mislead or misleading bunch devoted to greed and political gain – taken on the surface, said skeptics do have a point as well as a valid argument with regard to the statements made in these leaked emails.

Over 1,000 emails and 2,000 other documents were hacked from the CRU and then posted on a Russian file-sharing server late Thursday, referencing in some cases the concealment of data arguing against global warming claims. Once leaked, the university did not help the matter, offering no response or rebuttal beyond simply implying “Hey, you’re not allowed to read those!” while critics lambasted them.

While whether or not the statements within the stolen emails were taken out of context is debatable, undeniable is the fact that their very presence has raised questions over whether or not the argument for global warming is valid.

“This is horrible,” said Pat Michaels, a climate scientist at the Cato Institute in Washington who is mentioned negatively in the emails. “This is what everyone feared. Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for anyone who does not view global warming as an end-of-the-world issue to publish papers. This isn’t questionable practice, this is unethical.”

With less than a month to go until the climate-change summit in Copenhagen, this is not good for climate change activists.

“Climate Gate” – Confusing the real issue

Let’s forget, for a moment, the fact that these emails were obtained in a highly illegal manner. Although I typically do not make a habit of aligning myself with The Right, I believe that the notion supported by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. – that the leaked e-mails are “theft” and “crime” that should be investigated regardless of the emails’ contents – is entirely missing the point.

“You call it Climate-gate. I call it E-mail-theft-gate,” said Senator Boxer. She claims that a criminal conspiracy might even be at play.

Senator Boxer is simply arguing the wrong point. Yes, it is unethical to steal emails. But, it is also unethical and even criminal to actively attempt to mislead the public on such an important topic – one that could change the course of human history and survival over the next few decades.

While the hacked emails have the ability to weaken global resolve to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, they offer no real and tangible arguments for either side. We now need to take the higher road and put forth the right argument: the content of these emails, regardless of how they were obtained, needs to be looked at in a comprehensive and responsible manner.

The emails are greatly exaggerated beyond all recognition. The claims which climate change deniers have consistently made throughout their campaigns are simply not supported by any findings in the exposed correspondence.

Yet, words can hurt.

I personally find it ironically sad that the scientific and environmental response has been utter denial and finger-pointing. The emails help fuel the fact-less propaganda surrounding climate change denial, while they instantly revoke the credibility and expertise of those involved. The only real way to move passed this in a positive direction toward truth is for people to regain a firm grasp on reality.

“I simply can’t believe that there is a kind of mafia that is trying to inhibit critical papers from being published,” said Mojib Latif, a climate researcher at Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences. Mr. Latif firmly believes that global warming is, in fact, man-made, and relates current cooling to temporary natural trends.

According to the Copenhagen Diagnosis report – a collection of over 200 scientific papers BEYOND that of the hacked emails - climate change has rapidly accelerated beyond all previous predictions and humans are to blame. The report shows that global warming emissions in 2008 were nearly 40 percent higher than those in 1990, while sea level rise is 80 percent above past previous predictions.

No real, substantial data supporting global warming has been disproven or dismantled by these stolen emails. Only a few sentences out of context spun completely out of control are doing the damage – and it is PR damage at best.

Finding facts in fiction

The majority of climate scientists today argue that the earth’s temperature is in fact rising, with nearly all in agreement that human activity is the prime suspect.

Climate change skeptics and deniers are leaping onto this “email scandal” with torches and pitch forks in hand, without stopping to understand that not only has their very context been cherry-picked for their own argument’s sake, but that a small handful of scientists sending emails back and forth does not dismantle an entire scientific institution; that climate change is real, it is caused by human activity, and the need to counteract its impacts is beyond crucial.

Yes, the world’s temperature was decreasing, as unbiased studies have shown; over the last 2,000 years, temperatures were steadily going down, mostly due to decreased solar insulation associated with the earth’s orbit.

HOWEVER, just under 200 years ago, the temperature - scientifically measured by ice cores, tree rings and lake sediments – began a sharp increase and has been steadily rising ever since. This time frame coincides with, obviously, the birth of the industrial revolution; a.k.a. human activity.

These evidences are of course based on science that right-wing climate change deniers simply refuse to believe in, citing faith and man-made notions of world dominion as proof.

Take a look around

But let’s not make any mistakes here: climate change deniers and skeptics have lied and obscured real “data” for years, catalyzing the cause for climate change “rationalists” and believers to adhere to high scientific standards.

Fossil fuel industries have employed “experts” to lie, cheat and manipulate on their behalf – atrocities far greater than anything contained in these emails. And despite years of outright deceit and fraud on their part, it is now the climate scientists who look bad.

Now, because of this one-time “scandal”, the side of truth in the climate change debate needs to work that much harder in order to distinguish itself above the opposition.

In questioning motivations, let’s examine those of the climate change skeptics and deniers; and take a hard look at the oil and gas and coal industries. Each has billions of dollars at stake, and a deep and vested interest in maintaining the status quo; spending millions on lobbying, advertising and funding slanted research to distort the truth and keep as many skeptics ont heir side as possible.

I mean, who are their “superstars”? How about Steve Milloy, Fox News’ “Fair and Balanced” anchor and host of Junk Science who spends most of his time arguing against the medical effects of secondhand smoke and claiming that climate change is fake, all while being a paid advocate and funds-recipient from both Philip Morris and ExxonMobil.

How about resident science “expert” and climate change denier Professor Pat Michaels of the Cato Institute, who has recently been exposed as accepting at least $100,000 by companies involved in coal-fired power production. Michaels himself withdrew as an “expert witness from a court case about climate change” after this funding went public.

And there is Sarah Palin. Ah, Sarah, how you entertain us! Palin, a very public advocate for oil drilling and former Governor of Alaska (a heavily-dependent oil economy), stated during the 2008 campaign: “I’m not one though who would attribute it [climate change] to being manmade.” She then went on to sign executive orders to commence Arctic Sea oil drilling, an up-til-now untapped reserve covered by ice, due to the rapid depletion of ice in the Arctic Sea.

The lost goes on and on, and so do the erroneous claims. Daily Mail columnist Melanie Philips claims that believing in global warming is just plain anti-American, stating that “the theory that global warming is all the fault of mankind is a massive scam based on flawed computer modelling, bad science and an anti-western ideology…” and that “carbon dioxide forms a relatively small proportion of the atmosphere, most of which consists of water vapor.”

Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who receives more campaign money from fossil fuel companies than any other Senator in the Republican Party, has compared environmentalists to the Third Reich and the US Environmental Protection Agency to the Gestapo. He maintains that climate change is all a big hoax.

And these, ladies and gentleman of the planet, are who we actually become comparable to when such a thing as data manipulation or outright lying takes place – even on the side of the good guys – regardless of cause or reason. Let’s not lose sight of the real goals at hand and stick to the highest of principles, and maybe we will actually get somewhere. Perhaps if done right, we will finally earn the right to call Earth “home”.

Element Hotels rolls out the green carpet for eco-savvy drivers

Joe Ascanio — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:15:09 +0000

Element Hotels has just announced its plans to install ChargePoint electric car-charging stations at all of its properties by the end of 2009, as well as offer preferred space for electric and hybrid vehicles.

This move is one more step toward the Starwood-owned brand’s huge initiative to establish itself as THE premiere environmentally-friendly hotel chain.

The eco-chic brand recently tested a pilot of this program at its Element Lexington property, which turned out to be a tremendous success. The program is a first for the hotel industry.

“At Element, we aim to provide greener options for our guests, and the charging stations are a perfect next step,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty-Select Brands, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Even guests who don’t yet drive electric cars tell us that the charging stations are encouraging them to think about more sustainable alternatives, and that’s very gratifying.”

With six Element hotels open to-date, Element is the only major hotel brand to mandate that its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The ChargePoint Networked Charging Station was developed by California innovator Coulomb Technologies.

ChargePoint has partnered with Carbon Day Automotive to make the stations available at all current Element properties, as well as properties that the brand plans to open over the next several years.

Catering to a universal appeal

A few months back, President Barack Obama called for a million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. Since then, utility companies across the country have pledged to increase efforts to expand the use of plug-in electric vehicles, while policymakers are increasingly turning to electric cars as a way to cut the emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gas linked to climate change.

Using Google Maps, travelers can locate the charging station and determine whether it is in use or unoccupied. Sleek and slim, ChargePoint devices are equipped with a universal plug-in for all kinds of electric vehicles, from cars and buses to electric bikes.

Plug-in hybrid cars, expected to roll out over the next few years, are also compatible. To use the stations, guests will simply swipe a key fob, plug in, and charge up. Guests who pull up in electric or hybrid cars will also get VIP green carpet treatment with “Hybrid Preferred” parking spots closest to Element hotels’ front doors.

Element will also be allowing non-guests to use the charging stations, similar to regular gas stations across the country.

Where did everybody go this Thanksgiving – and where to next?

Joe Ascanio — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:53:47 +0000

Kayak.com has just released a post-Thanksgiving Holiday breakdown of the latest travel trends. Are great deals hidden between the lines?

Immensely popular search engine and fare aggregator Kayak.com’s analysis of travel search data is perhaps shedding some light on upcoming travel trends for the 2010 winter travel season.

According to the site, people searched for holiday-travel flights well in advance, with 77% of searches taking place at least an entire month prior to Thanksgiving. Only 3% waited until the last minute (one week before).

“While we received a number of inquiries before Thanksgiving regarding last minute travel, only a small percentage of people waited until the last minute,” said Giorgos Zacharia, KAYAK’s Chief Scientist. “Since most people seem to book far in advance, we began looking at trends for travel this winter, and there seem to be some good deals.”

The trends data is based on flight and hotel searches made on Kayak’s network of sites (kayak.com, sidestep.com, travelpost.com, kayak.co.uk, other local market KAYAK-branded sites and KAYAK-affiliate sites) over the past 12 months.

Hitting the slopes takes a downward spiral

Popular Colorado ski destinations Denver and Apsen are a both offering some great rates for winter travelers, with airfare to Denver at an 8% drop over last year and hotel rates at a nearly 24% dip. Aspen’s numbers are looking even better, though, with airfare bottoming out at -21% and hotels at -35%.

Other great budget-conscious ski destinations include both Reno and Calgary, each seeing some dramatic cost reductions.

Prices dropping at popular beach destinations

Fare prices to Hawaii have dropped for the winter holiday season, with airfare at a good 2 percent less than last year, while hotels have dropped by nearly 20 percent.

Visitors to Cancun may be able to save a bundle, with airfare down by just over 30 percent and hotels averaging at around 13 percent less than last year.

Across the pond, bring an extra wallet

Although hotel rates are largely down in popular tourist cities like London, Paris and Barcelona (-28%, -26% and -17%, respectively), airfare prices are slightly up – due largely to the fallen value of the American dollar as well as slowly-creeping-upward oil prices.

Kayak.com provides access to its travel search data at kayak.com/trends for nearly any commercial airport in the world and for hotels in hundreds of the most searched destinations.

Ecotourism finds funding in African nation of Namibia

Kristen Geis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:39:11 +0000

Namibia has been chosen as the first US-based Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) client to receive a $70 million ecotourism grant in an effort to establish the nation as one of Africa’s leading tourism economies within ten years.

The dollar amount is a fraction of the full $305 million being allocated by the MCC to develop education, tourism and agriculture in Namibia.

According to the Namibian Government, tourism is an important generator of employment, particularly in rural areas. With the grant in place, international tourism generated 15.6% of total exports ($650.6 million) in 2008 and are expected to grow to 22.6% ($2,092.8 million) by 2018. Meanwhile, the contribution of travel and tourism to the gross domestic product is expected to increase from 14.5% ($1,051.7 million) in 2008 to 20.7% ($2,967.9 million) by 2018 and from 18.2% (77,000 jobs) to 23.7% (129,000 jobs) of total employment in that same period.

While the tourism industry in Namibia has enjoyed steady growth since independence in 1990, Namibia has lagged behind relative to regional competitors despite its abundance of natural eco-tourism assets and relative political stability.

Compared to South Africa’s 9.2 million international visitors in 2007, Namibia received less than 1 million international visitors in the same year.

Building for success

The MCC grant will enable Namibia to become one of Africa’s leading tourism economies over the next decade.

According to the WTTC, growth in the travel and tourism economy of the country will rank the Namibia tourism industry 8th out of 176 countries, with a major focus on the Etosha National Park ($40.5m), marketing activity ($8.26m) and conservancy support ($18.19m).

For more information, visit www.mca.gov.na.

The Vdara Hotel & Spa is open, and it’s spectacular!

Joe Ascanio — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:29:06 +0000

The Las Vegas CityCenter’s official grand opening of the Vdara Hotel and Spa gave the public a good, first glance at the new sustainable-luxury recreation destination.

Launching at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and subsequent celebrity party, the all-suite hotel welcomed Vdara’s employees to be the first to officially walk through the hotel’s doors.

“We are incredibly proud to offer the world this first taste of all that CityCenter will bring to the Las Vegas Strip,” said Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE. “Travelers will finally find in Las Vegas what they find in other great cities around the world – spectacular architecture, culturally significant art, great public spaces, sophisticated hotels, unique restaurants and incredible amenities. We look forward to unveiling all of this and more as the month unfolds.”

Vdara is the first hotel to open at CityCenter, which in total will put 12,000 employees to work in Las Vegas. The resort is an all-suite hotel and spa designed for those who love the excitement of Vegas but prefer to enjoy it in an exclusive, non-gaming, smoke-free environment.

Physically connected to The Bellagio and directly adjacent to ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara offers access to all the amenities and energy of CityCenter while also providing a retreat from it all.

Vdara, together with Vanity Fair, threw a star-studded, invite-only event hosted by famed photographer Sebastian Copeland – a dedicated environmental activist, who shares Vdara’s commitment to sustainability, which is evidenced in the resort’s LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Also on hand for the festivities were award-winning actors Orlando Bloom and Rosario Dawson.

CityCenter will celebrate openings throughout the month, culminating with one final grand opening celebration, December 16. Crystals retail and entertainment district opens December 3, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas December 4 and ARIA Resort & Casino December 16.

City within a city

The forthcoming CityCenter is an unprecedented urban metropolis on 67 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

CityCenter features ARIA, a 61-story, 4,004-room gaming resort; luxury non-gaming hotels including Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental and Vdara Hotel & Spa; Veer Towers, the development’s only strictly residential buildings; and Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district.

At the forefront of sustainability, CityCenter is one of the world’s largest green developments. ARIA, Vdara, Crystals, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers all have received LEED® Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. This marks the highest LEED achievement for any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas. The Harmon also is pursuing LEED certification.

Vdara, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Veer Towers include approximately 2,400 residences total. Additionally, The Harmon, a 400-room luxury boutique hotel, is slated to open at CityCenter in late 2010.

For more information about CityCenter, please visit www.citycenter.com as well as www.vdara.com.

Which cities are in the greatest danger from rising sea levels?

Joe Ascanio — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:59:38 +0000

We know the basic idea: global warming melts polar ice, sending swells of ocean water toward our shores – and after becoming engulfed in an entirely blue world, people grow gills and are somehow turning pee into drinking water.

Sounds crazy? Of course it does – thank you, Kevin Costner. But the basic idea of entire cities across the world becoming well beyond waterlogged is, in fact, a reality. And a scary one at that.

According to measurements by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), rising sea levels will be a huge threat to even the most advanced cities - not to mention small, island nations – with predicted levels twice as high as originally thought.

If global temperatures continue to increase at the current rate, by the year 2100 island nations such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and Tuvalu in the Pacific would be entirely engulfed by ocean waters, while rising levels will devastate coastal cities such as Calcutta and Dhaka.

Modern-day metropolises New York, Shanghai and London would need to literally spend billions in order to even attempt to hold off flood waters from rushing onto city streets.

A threat beyond measure

Back in 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted a rise of merely .59 meters toward the end of the century. This was bad on its own, but now the SCAR panel of 35 leading climate research institutions has reported an expected rise of 1.4 meters – almost double the original report.

So, why such a discrepancy? SCAR scientists suggest that the IPCC underestimated how much the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets (ice on land, NOT in the ocean) would contribute to total sea-level rises.

While the IPCC originally thought melted ice sheets would contribute around 20% to rising sea levels, the new study by SCAR suggests the ice sheets’ contribution at over 50%. SCAR is using more up-to-date climate observation technology to deliver these new results.

In time for this month’s COP15 conference, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC and one of the world’s leading experts on climate science, has called for the world to intensify efforts to control global warming.

Discrepancies damage credibility

With all the drama surrounding the “climate chanhe hoax” claims, skeptics did not wait long to jump on the new SCAR report.

“It’s 50cm, 60cm, 100cm — 60m if you ask James Hansen from Nasa,” said Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. “The predictions come in thick and fast, but we take them all with a pinch of salt.”

Obviously, such large contradictions can hurt the overall believability of the individual reports as well as others like them.

“We look out of the window and it’s very cold, it doesn’t seem to be warming,” continued Peiser. “We’re very concerned that 100-year policies are being made on the basis of these predictions”

Peak Adventure Tours offer a blend of fun and adventure in the Himalayas

Subhash Kandpal — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:35:33 +0000

Peak Adventure Tours, one of the well-known players in the relevant field, has announced an alluring assortment of fixed departure treks that promises to raise the heart beats of adventure lovers all over the world.

Designed to enthuse the adrenaline of the fun-goers, these departure trek packages are designed exclusively to cover major trekking regions of Garhwal, Sikkim, Ladakh and Himachal. The travel company has planned to proffer fun lovers the real trekking pleasure in the steep routes of Roopkund Trek, Kalindikhal Trek, Stok Kangri Trek,Trans Zanskar Trek and many more fascinating routes.

India has successfully emerged as one of the favorite destinations for adventure lovers all across the globe. Every season, huge number of vacationers visits the country to meet the real essence of an escapade.

The foothills of Himalayas, Garhwal, Sikkim, Ladakh and Himachal, are all counted as fun filled paths to take adrenaline junkies across the real adventure. Peak Adventure Tours realizes the fact and launches alluring trek packages every season that primarily targets the fun enthusiasts from all over the world.

Moving ahead, the fascinating trek tour packages offered by the travel agency are flexible in their own magnificent way. The trekking tour is not only concentrating on a complete troupe but is also paying attention on the needs of a visitor sans any group or troupe. The organization has a close-knit team of tour guides, which will be visiting the venues and guiding such vacationers in joining the most appropriate group of trekkers.

Peak Adventure Tours has indefatigably acted as a vital element in the travel sector by attracting vacationers and offering optimum packages to enjoy the services time after time. One of the biggest achievements of the tour agency till date has been its participation in the WTM Summit, which was staged from 9th to 12th November ’09 in London that received huge accolades from people across the globe.

This time of year 2010, the company is once again looking forward to pulling up more vacationers and aims to achieve their aim of recording all time highest booking in comparison to past records. For this, the company has left no stone unturned in achieving excellence in the adventure tourism.

“Trekking is one fascinating adventure activity that has attracted numerous vacationers time to time,” said the director, Peak Adventure Tours. “Realizing this actuality, we have laid out certain fixed departure trekking tours at nominal prices. The trekking extravaganza will be covering beautiful trekking routes of Garhwal, Sikkim, Ladakh and Himachal. The packages are surely going to offer you and your family a truly mesmerizing trekking experience.”

Doubletree helps Feed the World this holiday season

Joe Ascanio — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:37:18 +0000

Doubletree Hotels has partnered up with the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) to combat worldwide hunger with its new “Community Drive to Fight World Hunger” campaign ; working to motivate students to collect food for local food banks in the United States and raise funds for WFP’s hunger relief operations abroad.

The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization.

“Doubletree’s Community Drive to Fight World Hunger is educating students on the hunger needs of their neighbors and then extending that awareness to other regions of the world,” said Mary Beth Parks, vice president-brand marketing for Doubletree Hotels.

As an integral part of Doubletree’s award-winning “Teaching Kids to CARE” community outreach program, “Community Drive to Fight World Hunger” hopes to raise awareness on key social and environmental issues through educational activities.

Food drive collection activities will take place at participating Doubletree hotels in more than 125 cities worldwide between now and December 18th.

“Our hope is that participants will gain a sense of the scope of the hunger crisis and their role in addressing it through hands-on donation and fundraising efforts,” added Parks. “Students will also learn ways to impact this worldwide challenge by making enlightened changes in their own lives, like cutting down on food waste during meals or donating regularly to a local food bank.”

‘Teaching Kids to CARE’ this holiday season

The Teaching Kids to Care campaign works to educate students on the impact hunger has on both a local and global level by highlighting the critical importance of food donations during the holiday season.

Founded in 2002, “Teaching Kids to CARE is a community-based outreach initiative that has connected local Doubletree hotels with more than 150,000 students in local elementary schools and youth organizations. Teaching Kids to CARE educates children about the importance of making environmentally and socially conscious decisions for their community and their world at the earliest ages.

As part of the campaign, students across the country are filling self-decorated food collection containers and organizing “Great Community Food Collection” drives, encouraging family, friends and fellow citizens to feed their hungry neighbors through non-perishable food donations.

All collected non-perishable food items will be presented to a variety of nonprofit community outreach organizations including local food banks, rescue missions, mobile meal delivery programs and more—directly connecting students to the hunger needs present in their own communities.

Doubletree commits to hunger relief

Taking part in the giving-spirit of the season, Doubletree Hotels has committed to contributing $0.05 for every non-perishable food item donated to Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that builds support for WFP operations. Funds will be donated exclusively to WFP’s school meals program, which provides meals to more than 20 million of the world’s poorest schoolchildren each year.

Research from the WFP has found that supplying meals to students at school significantly increases enrollment, attendance and academic performance—especially for girls. This reinforces Doubletree’s mission of supporting and enhancing educational efforts for youth worldwide and engaging Teachings Kids to CARE participants in actively supporting academic aspirations through the power of community outreach.

“WFP seeks partnerships that, in addition to monetary donations, are committed to creating lasting change and addressing the core of the hunger epidemic worldwide,” said Friends of WFP President and CEO, Karen Sendelback. “Doubletree’s youth-focused program ensures that future generations of leaders are aware of this issue and are able to take proactive steps to help eradicate world hunger.”

For more information or to find out how you can contribute, follow the campaign via Twitter at www.twitter.com/doubletreehtls.

Timberland’s new climate change campaign ‘gets things done’

Joe Ascanio — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:14:07 +0000

Timberland’s new political campaign, “Don’t Tell Us It Can’t Be Done,” takes a hard-hitting approach to socio-political change in line with next month’s COP15.

This December, the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is supposed to ratify a new global climate change treaty – to essentially replace the soon-to-expire Kyoto protocol. Labeled “COP15″, the Copenhagen summit is a tremendous opportunity to take action on climate change.

Yet, the blogosphere has been on fire lately regarding the upcoming event – with only weeks to go and with so much on the line, governments from 192 nations around the world are beginning to send out signals suggesting that no lasting-treaties will be formed.

Through the “Don’t Tell Us It Can’t Be Done” campaign, Timberland hopes to rally the power of individuals and consumers around the world to affect this process positively by challenging government leaders to set standards for emissions.

The popular clothing and apparel brand is essentially challenging world leaders in attendance at COP15 to commit to reducing global emissions – even if that means a cap and trade system. Even with the restrictions that such a model could produce, Timberland is confident that it would force innovation in industries everywhere and that businesses, as problem solvers, would find a way to adapt without passing the cost to the consumer.

No stranger to responsible business, Timberland has worked to improve lighting design, using renewable energy sources at Timberland facilities and building all new US stores to LEED specifications. The company has also reduced its direct carbon emissions by 27% since 2006 – all while achieving cost savings.

Take action

Visit www.donttellusitcantbedone.com, Facebook.com/timberland or Earthkeeper.com to make your voice heard via an online petition that asks world leaders to come to an agreement on fair and binding climate legislation that clearly sets a limit for greenhouse gas emissions; and then asks them to step aside and let businesses innovate and lead the way to finding solutions to achieve those limits.

“Businesses will find a way to make environmentally conscious products and profits at the same time,” reads the site. “But government needs to act now. They need to set the standards. If you agree, join us. Your voice will be heard at December’s Copenhagen conference on climate control.”

In addition to signing the petition, visitors can learn about other ways to address climate change or stay up-to-date with happenings at the conference from December 7 – 18. An on-the-ground correspondent will be providing daily updates and exclusive interviews at www.donttellusitcantbedone.com.

Sheraton Suites Tampa chooses ‘Green’

Joe Ascanio — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:59:48 +0000

The property has just initiated its new “Make a Green Choice” (MAGC) program to enhance sustainability across the board.

Perhaps taking a cue from its parent company’s (Starwood) green line of hotels (Element Hotels), the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport is putting some green into their operations.

The property, managed by Davidson Hotel Company, is finishing up on a multimillion-dollar renovation project that includes some major eco-improvements – many of which focus on sustainable housekeeping practices, a key factor in green hotel management, as well as landscape design and waste management.

“The new management team, Davidson Hotel Company, is committed to engaging all guests as well as employees to actively support sustainability efforts,” said Ray Zepp, general manager at the Sheraton. “This new program helps to reward those that make a ‘green’ decision, no matter how small it seems.”

Zepp says that the MAGC program is a wise business move; one that will result in fewer rooms needing to be cleaned – saving on water, energy and chemical expenses. Furthermore, it should increase loyalty and drive more guests to the hotel’s new restaurant.

Participating guests can decline housekeeping service for a day, and in exchange for helping the Sheraton conserve natural resources, they receive a $5 gift card for use at the hotel restaurant or 500 Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Points.

Building on sustainability

Another facet of the renovation project is the inclusion of a new, eight-story tropical atrium – an indoor landscaping design created to increase the building’s sustainability factor. A large garden will make up most of the atrium floor will include the largest indoor screw pine in Florida, as well as Canary Island Date Palms, which are rarely seen in interior landscaping due to their large size.

Many of the plants, especially the large palms, have been growing there since the hotel was built in 1986.

The attractive indoor plants will also serve another purpose; in a number of ways, the garden lowers the hotel’s demand on the water supply, improves the indoor air quality, reduces excess noise, and more.

“Our hotel is known for the large, open atrium that you see the minute you walk in here,” Zepp said. “While not many people know that our indoor garden increases our property’s sustainability, what better way to immediately communicate ‘green’ than a tropical landscape?”

Attention to details

The hotel’s new green intitative will also include a robust recycling program, in which they recycle paper, cans, plastic, batteries, light bulbs, and copy toner cartridges; lights are monitored and turned off when not needed; and the water flow has been lowered in both the showers and sink faucets. The hotel has also eliminated the need for a garbage disposal.

Taking the time to make these improvements in increasing its sustainability proved worthwhile last year. The state of Florida awarded the Sheraton a One Palm Certification in 2008. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, “the voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving ‘green’ practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.”

“As a major business in the area, we are more than happy to do our part in maintaining a focus on going green in this community,” Zepp said. “We are excited about the renovated hotel and look forward to maintaining and increasing our environmentally friendly property.”

For more information, visit the Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore online.

Beijing to play host to highly-coveted eco travel awards

Joe Ascanio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:51:22 +0000

Since its recent stint in hosting the Olympics, (for better or worse) Beijing has been on the minds of the eco-travel-minded throughout the world.

Heading into its sixth year, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Tourism for Tomorrow Awards has selected the city of Beijing for its 2010 festivities.

The awards, aimed at recognizing best practices in sustainable tourism across the globe, focuses on the travel industry as concerns continue to grow over the cultivation and preservation of both cultural and natural resources.

An independent panel of judges, including some of the world’s most authoritative experts of sustainable development, as well as a stringent application process involving on-site verification visits by these experts, has made the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards one of the most highly-coveted accolades in the industry.

Awards are based on four main categories, including:

Destination Stewardship
This award goes to a destination – country, region, state, or town – which comprises a network of tourism enterprises and organizations that show dedication to, and success in, maintaining a program of sustainable tourism management at the destination level, incorporating social, cultural, environmental, and economic aspects, as well as multi-stakeholder engagement.
Conservation
Open to any tourism business, organization, or attraction, including lodges, hotels, or tour operators, able to demonstrate that their tourism development and operations have made a tangible contribution to the conservation of natural heritage.
Community Benefit
This award is for a tourism initiative that has effectively demonstrated direct benefits to local people, including capacity building, the transfer of industry skills, and support for community development.
Global Tourism Business
Open to any large company from any sector of travel and tourism – cruise lines, hotel groups, airlines, tour operators, etc. – with at least 200 full-time employees and operating in more than one country or in more than one destination in a single country, this award recognizes best practices in sustainable tourism at a large company level.

The actual Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony is slated to take place in May 2010, and is endorsed by WTTC members as well as other organizations and companies. They are organized in association with two Strategic Partners: Travelport and The Leading Travel Companies’ Conservation Foundation.

Other sponsors/supporters include: Adventures in Travel Expo, BEST Education Network, Breaking Travel News, the Daily Telegraph, eTurboNews, Friends of Nature, National Geographic Adventure and National Geographic Traveler, Planeterra, the Rainforest Alliance, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Sustainable Travel International, Tony Charters & Associates, Travelmole, Travesias, TTN Middle East, USA Today, and the World Heritage Alliance.

For more information, visit www.tourismfortomorrow.com.

Striking ‘Green Gold’ in Las Vegas with LEED Certified CityCenter

Joe Ascanio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:44:30 +0000

The city’s all-new City Center has finally earned Six LEED Gold Certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Opening this December, the development has long-touted its commitment to environmental consciousness through its efforts in energy, materials and waster management; creating a veritable 18 million square foot sustainable metropolis.

“From its intense focus on water conservation to the multiple strategies for energy efficiency, the CityCenter team has delivered several exceptional properties that qualify for the LEED Gold rating,” said S. Richard Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC. “Extreme climates challenge the most creative of project teams, and the CityCenter team has risen to the occasion and then some. We congratulate them on their significant achievement.”

CityCenter is an unprecedented urban metropolis opening in December 2009 on 67 acres between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. This Gold LEED certification is the highest LEED achievement by any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas.

“From its inception to design, development and construction, we had one single goal in mind for CityCenter: create a destination that is not only built in an environmentally sustainable manner, but also operates every day with an equal commitment to conserving natural resources,” said Bobby Baldwin, president and CEO, CityCenter. “As we approach CityCenter’s opening next month, now with six LEED Gold recognitions, we’re very close to sharing with the world a remarkable demonstration that a community can be both beautiful and sustainable.”

CityCenter is paving the way for other entities to build and operate sustainably. As recently honored by the Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US), CityCenter’s dedication to the use of sustainably harvested FSC-certified wood products is unprecedented in scale and resulted in a significant market transformation, including multiple wood suppliers receiving their FSC chain of custody certification to supply wood to the development.

Other sustainability highlights include:

First energy-generation on The Strip through its 8.5 megawatt natural-gas co-generation plant, providing efficient electricity on site, reducing emissions and using “waste heat” to provide domestic hot water
World’s first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG)
Water conservation technology and programs that will save between 30% and 43% of water within the buildings and 60% in outdoor landscaping, for an overall savings of approximately 50 million gallons annually
Energy-efficiency initiatives providing a savings equivalent to powering 8,800 households annually
Development of slot machine bases that serve as floor air-conditioning units, efficiently cooling guests from the ground up, rather than wasting energy on empty space by cooling from the ceiling
Creation of a large-scale recycling operation that enabled the recycling or reuse of more than 260,000 tons of construction waste, more than 80% of the imploded Boardwalk Hotel
Collaborating with the nation’s foremost sustainability and LEED consultants, CityCenter has introduced more than 10,000 construction trade and craftsmen to green building techniques that can be implemented at future developments

Green from the ground up

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas is the first hotel in the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to receive a LEED rating. A sophisticated sanctuary of modern elegance, Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas will feature 392 rooms and suites and 225 residences. Opening December 4, 2009, the 47-story, non-gaming hotel and residences bring the legendary service of the renowned hotel group to Las Vegas for the first time.

Veer Towers, CityCenter’s only purely residential development, is a masterful translation of energy and excitement into physical form; its two 37-story glass towers shimmer day and night. Inclined at five-degree angles – a feature celebrated by the development’s name – the towers seem to dance with each other. Designed by famed architect Helmut Jahn, each tower will house approximately 335 modern condominium residences. Residential occupancies are slated to begin mid-January 2010.

Tony Dennis, executive vice president, CityCenter Residential Division, said “The LEED Gold certifications of CityCenter’s residential buildings are a brilliant example of sustainable development. In satisfying the growing demand for smart and environmentally responsible living, CityCenter’s green commitment is a meaningful point of pride for our homeowners and an element of value that is as important as our quality and service.”

CityCenter’s LEED certification effort was led by MGM MIRAGE’s Energy and Environmental Services Division along with a recognized group of sustainability consultants including CTG Energetics, Green Building Services, Viridian Energy & Environmental and Fore Solutions and Simon & Associates. CityCenter’s previous LEED Gold awards include ARIA Resort’s hotel tower, ARIA’s convention center and theater, Vdara Hotel & Spaand Crystals.

For more information, visit www.citycenter.com.

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