Ties Ecocurrents Quarterly Emagazine - 2006 Q1

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

E c oCurrents

Price: $2.00 USD

INSIDE

THIS ISSUE:

Editorial:

SPECIAL FEATURE: GREEN SKI SLOPES MOVEMENT GREEN ON WHITE: REFORMING SKI TOURISM A WORLD’S FAIR ON THE ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD FOR U.S. SLOPES

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SKI AREAS’ GREEN IMAGE NOT BACKED BY ACTION

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ASPEN SKIING COMPANY

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SUSTAINABLE SLOPES IN EUROPE

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ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: THE CASE OF SHARK FIN SOUP

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GREEN ON WHITE: REFORMING SKI TOURISM By: Martha Honey

This issue of EcoCurrents features an examination of initiatives to implement environmentally sustainable practices within ski resorts. While ski resort tourism has not generally fall under the umbrella of ecotourism, the sustainable slopes movement is worthy of TIES’ examination for several reasons. Our organizational mandate includes promoting efforts to use the environmental, social and economic principles that guide ecotourism to help reform the broader tourism industry. For instance, the rapidly growing “green hotels” movement has gained impetus and adopted lessons from ecotourism. Similarly, Committed to Green and other programs for more sustainable golf courses have been influenced by ecotourism practices such as use of native plants and

grasses and recycled water. Ski resorts make an enormous environmental footprint. For example, they cause deforestation and polluted runoffs and consume large amounts of fossil fuels for lifts and buildings and water for snowmaking. In 2000, the Sustainable Slopes Program (SSP) was founded by the National Ski Areas Association in U.S. as a certification program to promote “beyond compliance principles of environmental management.” TIES has a long track record in promoting third-party tourism certification programs with performance based standards to measure social and environmental impacts. We therefore wanted to take a critical look at this certification initiative within the ski industry. (continued on page 2)

Guest Editorial:

UNEP MEETING ON TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT FALLS SHORT OF EXPECTATION

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GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT ON TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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Irresistible Travel Experiences available at www.ecotourism.org

Editor: Katie Maschman

A WORLD’S FAIR ON THE ENVIRONMENT

By: Ed Marston & Auden Schendler The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago showcased World’s Fair brought together what had been two giant machines – the ‘dynamo’ for the spread in bits and pieces throughout the generation OF electricity and the first Ferris nation. wheel for generation of pleasure – and thereby popularized new technologies. Similarly, the It didn’t lecture and rant at the audiences. It 1889 World’s Fair in Paris unveiled the Eiffel showed them: Tower as the world’s tallest building and The electric dynamo lit 200,000 incandescent raised the international profile of architectural alternating-current light bulbs in a nation innovations. where even cities were still dimly lit. And the Ferris wheel hoisted people 264 feet into the Today the environmental movement needs sky to show them how easily metallurgy and something like a World’s Fair to propel it more modern engines could transform their view firmly into the popular psyche and culture. We and their enjoyment of life. need a World’s Fair to help demonstrate new (continued on page 4) ways of thinking and then living. The Chicago

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel Unfortunately, what we have found is not encouraging. Today close to 200 U.S. ski resorts belong to SSP, yet none of the environmental organizations that originally supported the initiative, including Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, have remained as partners. They charge that SSP lacks specific performance-based standards, independent third-party oversight, and penalties for failure to comply. These concerns were detailed in a comprehensive report of the Sustainable Slopes Program by Jorge Rivera, a certification expert at George Washington University who has also written critical evaluations of Costa Rica’s Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program for accommodations. In a report done with Peter de Leon, Rivera found that in 109 ski areas in the U.S., the environmental performance of SSP participants was actually worse than non-participants. Regrettably, SSP is being used to help“greenwash”companies with poor environmental track records – something we have seen happen with weak certification programs in other parts of the tourism industry. It is important that environmentally conscious skiers understand these realities and that efforts are redoubled to create a strong and independently run certification program. Fortunately, there are some exemplary ski resorts, including the Aspen resorts in Colorado and Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada which are charting a course towards sustainability. A second reason for examining ski resort tourism is that the realities of global warming are making ecotourism an attractive alternative or supplement to winter alpine skiing. Global warming is directly impacting ski tourism – both existing resorts and new developments. Some European banks will not provide loans to ski areas that operate below 1400 meters, and many resorts are now developing a range of summer activities to offset losses caused by global warming. Arthur DeJong, the Development and Environment Resource Manager for Whistler Blackcomb wrote in a TIES report on sustainable alpine resort development for Montenegro: Climate change has been a reality for Whistler and the global industry for some time. Knowing what we know now about climate change, we would not make the large investment again in skiing. We would be far more diversified with greater focus on summer experiences as opposed to snow sports. Summer experiences like hiking, mountain biking, and ecotourism activities require far less capital investment and are not necessarily vulnerable to climate change. In fact, climate change would likely be a benefit to almost all alpine non-winter activities. The full feasibility report for expanding ski resorts in Montenegro, is available at: www.ecotourism.org/index2.php?current. Martha Honey is TIES Executive Director.

ALPINE SUSTAINABILITY FORUM Melbourne, Australia April 28, 2006

Alpine Resort Coordinating Council announces their upcoming forum for alpine sustainability. This will be the second annual Alpine Sustainability Conference. This year’s summit will highlight CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, specifically its effects on alpine biodiversity. Topics include resource management, green energy, and the ongoing tension between national park stewardship and tourism. Alpine Resort Coordinating Council is based in Victoria, Australia. The Alpine Resorts Coordinating Council was established under the Alpine Resorts Management Act 1997 and reports to the Minister for Environment.

For more information about the Alpine Sustainability Forum, please contact Andrew Fairley (TIES Board Treasurer), who is also the Alpine Resort Coordinating Council Chair, at aef@turtlefiji.com.au.

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel SKI AREAS’ ’GREEN’ IMAGE NOT BACKED BY ACTION Researchers call ‘Sustainable Slopes’ program ‘greenwashing’ By: Bob Berwyn You buy your veggies “organic,” your chicken “free-range,” your lumber “sustainably harvested.” And when you go skiing, you look for another green seal of approval — the “Sustainable Slopes” logo, indicating that a ski area has agreed to meet a code of environmental ethics. But according to a pair of public policy scholars, the Sustainable Slopes charter is little more than a green fig leaf for its 177 member ski resorts. Dr. Peter deLeon of the University of Colorado at Denver, and Dr. Jorge Rivera of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., published a report in the Policy Studies Journal, concluding that Sustainable Slopes provides no third-party oversight, no specific performance standards, and no sanctions for poor performance. That, they say, means participating resorts can expect “to improve their ‘green’ reputation” without actually doing anything beyond what’s required by existing environmental laws and regulations. The study reached the shocking conlusion that participating ski areas are more likely than non-participating areas to score poorly on an environmental score card compiled by conservation groups. Geraldine Link is the public policy director for the National Ski Areas Association, an industry trade group that created the Sustainable Slopes charter. She sidesteps the main criticisms of the study, but says that the ski industry is making headway on environmental issues, particularly with regard

to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. At least 71 resorts are now on record as supporting the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act. And many ski areas are buying significant amounts of renewable energy to power their lifts. Nonetheless, critics from both outside and inside the ski industry find fault with the charter’s lack of accountability. Watchdog groups say the charter’s biggest shortcoming is that it fails to address the impacts of the industry’s real estate development model. Near many ski resorts, a steady stream of new slope-side condo and luxury home projects eats away at undeveloped forestlands. In recent years, conservationists have launched their own certification system. Called the Ski Area Environmental Scorecard, it was developed by the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition, a group promoting environmentally sound management of ski areas. The scorecard rates resorts with grades ranging from A to F, based on a number of factors, including the impact of resort-related developments on wetlands, forests, and wildlife habitat. Resources: Rivera, Jorge and deLeon, Peter. (2004). Is Greener Whiter? Policy Studies Journal, 32 (38).

Bob Berwyn is a free-lance journalist from Dillon, Colorado. He specializes in outdoor recreation and sustainable travel. © 2005

ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD

FOR

U.S. SLOPES

The Ski Area Citizens Coalition (SACC), a collection of regional non-profit organizations, conducts annual environmental scorecard of ski resorts in the western United States. The environmental scorecard is an evolving set of criteria which is determined by the participating non-profit organizations. SACC’s 2005/2006 list of most and least environmentally friendly ski resort are as follows:

THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SKI RESORTS Resort Aspen Mountain Ski Resort Buttermilk Ski Resort Sundance Resort Alpine Meadows Mount Bachelor Sierra-at-Tahoe Bogus Basin Mountain Resort Aspen Highlands Wolf Creek Ski Area Taos Ski Valley

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State Grade Colorado A Colorado A Utah A California A Oregon A California A Idaho A Colorado A Colorado A New Mexico A

THE LEAST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SKI RESORTS Resort Breckenridge Ski Resort Crested Butte Mountain Resort Copper Mountain Ski Resort White Pass Ski Area Big Sky Resort Silver Mountain Ski Resort Crystal Mountain Resort Snowbasin Ski Resort Bridger Bowl Ski Area Keystone Ski Resort

State Grade Colorado F Colorado F Colorado F Washington F Montana F Idaho F Washington F Utah F Montana D Colorado D

To learn about the Ski Area Citizens Coalition, participating NGOs, or the full process and criteria, please go to ww.skiareacitizens.com.

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

What we need today is a World’s Fair that can help us see how we can confront major environmental challenges— global climate change, sprawl, a decimated natural world, loss of species and cultures, and so on. And a World’s Far can also demonstrate new approaches—through ecotourism, alternative energies, and other innovations that can make our lives better rather than more deprived. Happily, such a fair is already under way. Recently, Aspen, Colorado COMMA began the Canary Initiative, a climate-change alliance that would make the city the leader on research, discussion, and on-the-ground emissions reduction. And that’s in a city that already boasts of 57 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources; a free transit service using some of the quietest, cleanest hybrid diesel buses on the market; an extensive recycling initiative; and a tax on energy-hogging homes that funds energy efficiency and renewable-energy projects. Now, nobody around Aspen thinks compact fluorescent bulbs are going to hold back global climate change. That’s not the point. But taking a lesson from the Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard - who, like Aspenites, thought each existence is the center of the universe—city residents realized that the rarefied nature of their hometown gives them the power to influence the world. Aspen gets press coverage in China, hosts presidents and senators, and, of course, entertains the most influential people on the planet, i.e. the people with the most money. In other words, Aspen can be seen as a World’s Fair in progress. Modern Aspen was started by people who wanted to do more than just let tourists slide downhill on snow. Some were vets of U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain ski unit that had just returned to Colorado from World War II. Others founded in 1950 the Aspen Institute, an intellectual center for political and cultural ideas. Aspen pioneered growth restrictions. It created a beautiful town, surrounded by open space—as well as immensely high housing prices and long commutes for ordinaryincome mortals. But that’s the nature of an experiment: Sometimes it bites you even if it works.

that writes so many letters to the five local papers, it drives some residents crazy. The resort that anchors the town, Aspen Skiing Company, is a national pioneer in green construction, use of biodiesel in snowcats, third party ISO 14001 environmental certification, sustainability reporting, and carbon emissions reduction. In fact, the resort offsets 100% of its electricity-related emissions with wind power credits. The world has big problems, and needs a vision of what is possible. Aspen—as a living and evolving World’s Fair for the Environmental—is demonstrating what is possible. As Archimedes, the ancient Italian mathematician, said: “Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.” Aspen is both a lever and a place to stand. It’s small enough to nimbly change, smart enough to know it’s on stage, and beautiful enough to inspire the world.

A S P E N S K I I N G CO M PA N Y As the second oldest ski resort in the United States, Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) is a leader in the green slopes movement. ASC is comprised of four mountains: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. ASC has made a commitment to environmental management over the course of the past nine years. A partial listing of its accomplishments include: Philanthropy • Contribute $200,000 to environmental and humanitarian causes annually • Raise $30,000 a year for Aspen Valley Land Trust via compulsory guest doations Waste and Water Management • Save 8 million gallons of water with terrain half pipes in Snowmass & Buttermilk • Recycled 88% of the building materials from the Snowmass Lodge and Club • Diverted nearly 6,000 cubic yards of building material from landfills in the project Education and Interpretation: • Initiate Native-seed revegetation program and high altitude revegetation classes • Create ambassador guide training program for local volunteers • Buy local products and services Buildings account for 33% of ASC’s greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental Design and Alternative Energy: • Green Building, both the creation of U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program • Landscape design to eliminate runoff and reduce erosion • Cirque Lift is Colorado’s first wind powered lift (renewable energy equal to 4,000 pounds coal & 82,000 pounds CO2 reduction) • 2 Million pounds/year annual CO2 reduction through emission reducing retrofits.

Now, town council members from all over To access full details of Aspen Skiing Company’s Sustainability Report and the U.S. are coming to Aspen to see the next Environmental Management, go to www.aspensnowmass.com/environment. round in the experiment. These include a huge number of employee housing units and a very good Ed Marston ([email protected]) is the former publisher mass transit system; model child care; an exemplary local of High Country News. foundation that protects community health by looking after its citizens in a multitude of ways; a city that will soon Auden Schendler ([email protected]) is director © 2006 be 80 percent powered by wind; and an engaged citizenry of environmental affairs at the Aspen Skiing Co.

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel Sustainable Slopes in Europe By: Abigail Rome In 1991, the European Union and Alpine countries passed the Convention on the Protection of the Alps. The section on tourism calls for implementing guidelines and programs to protect the cultural inheritance and natural richness of the mountain regions. Since then efforts to ‘green’ ski resorts in Europe has been growing. Here are some examples:

• Saas Fee, Switzerland, the first major resort to sign the

1991 Alpine Convention, has implemented a number of environmental reforms including recycling, a ‘polluters pay’ policy garbage policy. The Ferienart Walliserhof Hotel has won an award for its high ecological building standards.

• Three Valleys, Courchevel, France, the world’s largest ski area with 183 lifts now uses hydor-electric power for all its electricity needs. Its snowmaking plant is located to cause minimal impacts, all vehicles use biodegradable diesel, some toilets use organic composting, and the newest chairlift is built without cement pylons. • Zermatt, Switzerland has been a ‘car free’ resort since 1966. Shuttle buses take skiers from the resort town to the

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slopes. Today there are at least 5 other car-free resorts in Switzerland.

• Les Gets, France uses bio-degradable diesel fuel for vehicles on its slopes and its snow-making systems run without chemical additives. • Serre Chevalier, France gets at least 25% of its power from renewable sources. • St. Anton, Austria has banned chemical additives to artificial snow, increased use of renewable energy sources, and implemented environmentally sensitive slope management techniques for winter and summer seasons, among other innovations. •

Kaprun Ski Area, Austria has the country’s first ISOcertified cableway, promotes use of renewable energy systems, and has annual tree and grass planting done with environmentally friendly methods.

Abigail Rome is a DC-based consultant who has completed research with TIES on environmental innovations at ski resorts in Europe.

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: THE CASE OF SHARK FIN SOUP By: Annie Vanderwyk Consumer awareness is paramount in the fight against environmental abuse. Individual tourists, who feel helpless to influence any major change in environmental issues, can play a powerful role by understanding that the tourist dollar acts like a vote. As tourism continues to expand throughout Asia; the votes cast with tourism dollars spent on a simple bowl of shark fin soup support a global marine catastrophe. However, these visitors are unaware of the pressure their consumer demand places on host nation resources and therefore feeding the devastating marine practice of shark finning. Shark fin soup is a traditional delicacy of China and East Asian countries. In partaking of this cultural delicacy the tourist dollar becomes a vote supporting the slaughter of thousands of the world’s shark population. Shark fin soup is a delicacy highly valued and a very expensive commodity. With the increased numbers of tourist visiting China and East Asian the demand for this unique culinary experience has escalated, therefore, putting greater pressure on illegal fishing of sharks in all ocean areas. Shark fins are harvested, and then dried to be sold in markets to individuals and restaurants to be made into shark fin soup and sold to the public (especially tourists) for as much as $100 per bowl.1 Shark fin soup as a delicacy in China, acts as a status symbol to that country’s growing middle class.2 The increasing demands of the tourist industry, combined with its economic influence, results in the inhumane practice of shark fin harvest. Wolfgang Leander, renowned photographer and freediver, writes: “‘Finning’ is a brutal way to slice off the fins of sharks, often from live animals, then dumping the helpless creatures back into the ocean to face an agonizing death.” 3

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WildAid.org, a non-profit conser vation group based in the United States, has published a call for Asian consumer awareness in the complicit practice of purchasing shark fin soup to

campaign against the horrendous devastation it triggers to marine wildlife. Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have been cited as the main shark fin trading centers. WildAid states that Asian consumers are unaware of the cruelty and unsustainability of the shark fin trade.4 We as individuals need reminding of the power inherent in the role of consumer. As a tourist, individual consumer decisions practiced in the search for a unique alternate cultural experience combine with the pressure of consumer demand and create a powerful determining factor in world environmental conservation issues. Education programs led by dedicated individuals are a powerful working tool for curbing the destruction of sharks. Australian Michael Aw, one such individual, is dedicated to educating young Chinese people in the environmental ramifications of the continued cultural practice of eating shark fin soup.5 Similarly, the actions of another individual has created a global awareness of the plight of sharks and‘finning’practices. The horror of shark finning harvests has been brought to the world’s attention by Dermot Keane. An individual motivated by a passion for the sea and a dedication to his conscience, Dermot lives in the tropical nation of Palau and manages a popular local dive tour company. With the dive shop in such close proximity to docking facilities for foreign fishing vessels, Dermot has seen firsthand the shocking numbers of fishing vessels returning to port with shark fins blatantly hanging from their rigging. The frequency of these hauls created deep concern for Dermot, the dive staff, and their guests as these hauls almost certainly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palau’s sharks.6 With this shocking body of evidence Dermot brought together a powerful network of professional marine biologists to establish the Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund in 2001. Through the collective efforts of Dermot’s employees, community members and international marine professionals the Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund established its mandate to support worldwide efforts to end the annihilation of sharks with a goal to ‘achieve a declaration by Republic of Palau, perpetually establishing all waters within Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone, as a World Shark Sanctuary, extending full protection of the Endangered Species Act to all shark species within.’ 7 Dermot’s single minded dedication and ability to organize international support have developed one of the most effective anti-shark finning campaigns. Efforts include procuring the expertise of marine biologist Ron Leidich, who led a comprehensive information drive, resulting in the development of the first “PADI Blue Corner Diver Distinctive (continued on page 8)

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Tourism and the individual role of the tourist play a critical role in conservation of sharks and environmental change— from the individual tourist decision of how to invest the dollar vote and the innovative development of public education programs to the dive tour manager creation of a collective for influencing global opinion and government legislation. The power of each individual’s action to initiate environmental change through informed choice is critical to sustainable tourism development and responsible environmental resource management. One person can make a difference. ‘The Reality of Shark Finning’ http://www.sharkfriends.com/sharkfinning.html Onell R. Soto,‘Illicit Fishing Alleged in Shark Fin Seizure’, San Diego Union Tribune, 12.6.2004 3 Wolfgang Leander, ‘Slaughter in Paradise: J’ Accuse!’ http://www.sharks.org/news/050303.htm 4 ‘Stop the cruelty towards sharks. While in Thailand, please don’t eat shark fin soup!’ http://www.thailandlife.com/sharkfinsoup.html 5 Roberto Coloma, ‘Shark’s Fin Soup’, June 29, 2005, http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/ article.3438.html 6 ‘A History of Efforts to Save Palau’s Sharks’ http://www.samsgtours.com/sharkbackground.html 7 Shark Sanctuary Fund, Palau Chapter http://www.samstours.com/sharkbackground.html 8 ‘Palau Wins ‘Shark Guardian of the Year’ Award Feb. 12, 2004 http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/FISH/ SHARKS/InNews/guardian2004.html 9 ‘PATA Announces 2005 Gold Awards Winners’ 2005-03-02 http://www.hotelnewsresource.com 1 2

Photos Courtesy of Raw Perspectives (www.rawperspectives.com). Annie Vanderwyk is the Washington Coordinator for the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

PHOTO CREDITS: LORNE SULCAS©

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Furthermore, the considerable success of the Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund has attracted international acclaim for the Republic of Palau by being awarded the Shark Guardian of the Year award from a German conservation organization in 20048 and a Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) 2005 Gold Award for Environmental Education Program.9 Dermot’s initial vision has created a unique combination of social and environmental consciousness attracting continued support of a network of experts in marine conservation globally. Locally, this project has secured the attention of the Palauan government and initiated legislative change as a benchmark ruling for continued development and growth of environmental considerations for a burgeoning nation state. Legislation is reported to be nearing final approval for passage in to law.

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel UNEP MEETING ON TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT FALLS SHORT OF EXPECTATION By: Zoë Chafe

More than 100 environment ministers joined industry, non-profit, and youth representatives in Dubai this February to discuss the increasingly complex relationship between tourism and the environment. At twin events hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)—the 7th Global Civil Society Forum and subsequent 9th Special Session of the Governing Council—governments and civil society groups considered what can and should be done to improve the tensions between the tourism industry and the environment in which it operates. The seminal series of meetings was hailed as the first of its kind to be held in West Asia, and represented possibly the largest-ever gathering of environment ministers. This could not be a more apt time to address the issue of tourism and the environment. As one of the largest industries in the world, and one that continues to rapidly expand, tourism has the potential to play a crucial role in environmental conservation and preservation. Because the industry plays such an important part in many countries’ economies, however, need for immediate revenues often overshadows long-term tourism planning. The meetings in Dubai served as the perfect venue to discuss such tensions. In preparation for the Dubai meetings, civil society representatives—elected by their peers at regional meetings—met in Bahrain to compose a Global Civil Society Statement. The tourism section focuses on defining a sustainable tourism approach; valuing ecosystem services in public and private sectors; understanding the environmental limits to tourism growth; preventing economic overdependence on tourism; and strengthening the role of local and indigenous peoples in tourism development.

•Adopt and streamline certification and reporting initiatives for sustainable tourism. The Global Civil Society Statement also calls upon governments to take the following international actions: •Address climate change from the tourism sector, especially the role of aviation; •Encourage cooperation among UN agencies dealing with tourism, especially as it relates to poverty alleviation; •UNEP should convene a meeting of environment ministers with their counterpart representatives to the UNWTO; •The UN General Assembly should fund UNEP to adequately pursue work on tourism and the environment in its Programme of Work. In Dubai, delegates had the chance to bring these points to life, as they sat side-by-side first with fellow civil society representatives from around the world, and later with government officials at the ministerial discussions on tourism and the environment. During the first several days in Dubai, the Global Civil Society Forum provided a venue for NGOs, youth, and industry representatives interested in tourism issues to hammer out a common platform. Meeting in a working group, about two dozen participants exchanged information on certification programs, indigenous involvement in tourism, transportation and energy implications, and ways of encouraging sustainable tourism growth. The result was a set of points that would later be delivered to ministers on behalf of the NGOs participating in the Global Civil Society Forum.

The Global Civil Society Statement recommends the following national-level actions:

•Integrate

the precautionary principle into tourism

planning;

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•Think twice before opening tourism markets to foreign investors; •Encourage cooperation between ministries on sustainable tourism;

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY Journey’s End Resort Ambergris Caye, Belize May 22-26, 2006 Presented by Solar Energy International Co-sponsored by The International Ecotourism Society Plenty International

The workshop focuses on the practical uses of solar, wind, and water power to generate electricity. Solar thermal applications including solar water heating, solar cooking, and passive solar cooling will also be discussed. Solar electricity (photovoltaics), for stand-alone electric independence, and power back-up systems will be covered in detail. Journey’s End... A small luxury resort located on the beach just ¼ mile from the longest barrier reef in the Americas. Enjoy the beach, snorkel and go diving, tour Mayan sites or just relax. www.journeysendresort.com

Tuition Cost: $650 (Not including travel and lodging) Come early, stay longer, learn more, have fun. It’s easy to get to Belize, and should you wish, all transportation, lodging, and other activities can be booked directly through Solimar Travel. Website: wwww.solimartravel.com. Email: [email protected]. For curriculum details and to register, contact SEI. Email: [email protected] Website: www.solarenergy.org Phone: 970-963-8855

As the ministerial sessions opened, civil society representatives took their seats behind placards demarcating their affiliation, seated at the back of a room filled with government officials and intergovernmental organization delegates. The subject of tourism and the environment was allotted a three hour discussion slot, which proved woefully inadequate given the amount of interest in the subject from governments. Moderated by delegates from Argentina and the United States, the session plodded along as country representatives delivered dozens of written statements, many of which amounted to little more than descriptions of the tourism activities available in their homelands. As time ran out, a number of countries remained on the speaking list and civil society had still not been given a chance to speak. Frustrated, NGO and youth representatives resigned themselves to making available a written copy of their remarks. This anticlimactic ending to the tourism discussions left civil society representatives disappointed and confused. When in the future would the important topic of tourism and its relationship to environmental issues be discussed at such a high level again? Information from UNEP indicates that the agency will convene a brief discussion of its work on tourism at the 14th meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 14), to be held in New York, May 1-12. But this does not resolve a larger issue: how are the various UN agencies engaged with tourism coordinating their efforts? Civil society representatives sincerely encourage UNEP, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the UN Development Program (UNDP) to work together on a wellcoordinated program of work to mainstream sustainable tourism practices and achieve poverty alleviation through appropriate tourism development. For more information-Global Civil Society Statement: www.unep.org/dpdl/civil_society/GCSF/contributions/statement_to_ GC9.pdf NGO Statement on Tourism and the Environment: www.unep.org/dpdl/civil_society/GCSF/7GCSF_statement_tourism_env. pdf Country Presentations at Tourism Discussions: www.iisd.ca/vol16/enb1653e.html

Zoë Chafe, a staff researcher with the Worldwatch Institute, attended the recent UN Environment Programme meetings in Dubai as a member of the North American Civil Society Delegation. She is the former Washington Coordinator of the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development (CESD).

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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel NGO STATEMENT ON TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT February 8, 2006 The NGOs major group is very pleased that the issue of tourism is being addressed in this forum. After extensive deliberations at the Global Civil Society Forum, we would like to emphasize strongly the following issues related to sustainable tourism. Tourism is becoming increasingly important to national economies, and it must not be underestimated as a means of increasing intercultural understanding and promoting peace in our troubled world. It is vitally important that sustainable tourism principles are applied to all aspects of the industry. Biodiversity, cultural diversity and sustainable tourism development are crucially inter-linked. The local community should retain ownership over tourism development, and be directly involved in participatory planning and implementation processes in the short and long term. Labelling for sustainable tourism products is an effective way of identifying tourism products and services that are truly committed to the principles of sustainable tourism. We request that UNEP join the steering committee of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council, a global body to accredit and harmonize existing certification programs on a voluntary basis. We look forward to the day when “destination labelling” will further assist consumers in making sustainable tourism choices. We call on governments to work vigorously with the International Civil Aviation Organization to lessen the impacts of air travel on environment, especially because international aviation emissions are not included under Kyoto protocol targets. One way of compensating for the environmental impacts of air travel emissions is to offset the carbon released by investing in renewable energy products. We call for UNEP to set an example for the rest of us by offsetting all employee travel in this manner. Environmental education is also a key component to sustainable tourism. Through awareness-raising, formal education and training opportunities, we can educate local populations and tourists alike. To this end, we urgently support the Decade for Education on Sustainable Development and would like to see this initiative supported by governments and by UNEP. Tourism is integral to the International Year for Deserts and Desertification. We request that governments include, within the provisional agenda of the sixty-first session of the UN General Assembly, discussion of ecotourism issues in the subitem entitled, “Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankind.” We have begun a productive dialogue on tourism and the environment and heard many admirable statements here today. Let it not end without concrete resolutions on how best to harness the positive potential of this growing industry. We ask that tourism, as a cross-cutting issue, be given a special focus both in multilateral environmental agreements (MEA’s) and within the UNEP program of work. Will sustainable tourism by operationalized and sufficiently funded at the national level? We hope so.

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Presents:

A Practical � Certification Training Seminar

June 13 - 16, 2006 Trainer: Dr. Alice Crabtree Ecotourism Standars Expert

June 13-15 TTES Overview of Global Certification Green Globe 21 Training: A sustainable tourism certification program

June 16 An Optional Field Experience

To register please contact:

TIES Director of Training & Education [email protected] (+1) 202.347.9203

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel TIES SPONSOR MEMBERS Adventure Life Journeys • Alaska Wildland Adventures • Amazonia Expeditions • Aventuras Naturales - Pacuare Lodge • Borneo Ecotours/Sukau Rainforest Lodge • Canadian Mountain Holidays Inc. (C.M.H.) • Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (at Conservation International) • Costa Rica Educational and Cultural Adventures • ecoAfrica Travel • Ecoventura/Galapagos Network • El Pescador Resorts • Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn • G.A.P Adventures • Green Hotels of Costa Rica 8 • Holbrook Travel • Horizontes Nature Tours • InkaNatura Travel • International Expeditions, Inc • NTRAV / Clipper Cruise Lines • Intrepid Travel Pty Ltd • Jungle Bay Resort and Spa • Kingfisher Bay Resort • Lapa Rios Ecolodge • Legitify • Lindblad Expeditions • Maho Bay Camps, Inc. • Micato Safaris • NatureAir • North by North East Tours • OARS (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists) • Rainforest Expeditions (Posada Amazonas/Tambopata) • Rivers Fiji • Solimar Marketing & Travel • TDN Turismo da Natureza Portugal • The Uganda Safari Company • Tiamo Resorts • Turtle Island, Fiji • Wilderness Travel • Wildland Adventures TIES NATIONAL & REGIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association • AMTAVE (Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism & Ecotourism) • Armenian Ecotourism Association • Asociación Ecoturismo Guatemala - ASEC • Asociación Ecuatoriana de Ecoturismo - ASEC • Brazilian Society for The Environment • Camara Nacional de Ecoturismo de Costa Rica (CANAECO) • Central Balkan Kalofer Ecotourism Association • EcoBrasil - Associacao Brasileira de Ecoturismo • Eco-Nigeria – Ecotourism Society of Nigeria • Ecotourism Australia • Ecotourism Laos - Mekkong Tourism Development Project • Ecotourism Society Pakistan • Ecotourism Society Philippines Foundation • Ecotourism Society of Kenya • Ecotourism Society of Saskatchewan • Ecotourism Society of Sri Lanka (ESSL) • Ecoturismo Italia • Estonian Ecotourism Association (ESTECAS) • Fiji Ecotourism Association • French Ecotourism Society • Grand Bahama Island Ecotourism Association • Green Tourism Association • Hawaii Ecotourism Association • Indonesian Ecotourism Network (INDECON Foundation) • Iriomote Island Ecotourism Association • Japan Ecolodge Association (ECOLA) • Japan Ecotourism Society (JES) • Kunigami Toruism Association (KUTA) • La Ruta de Sonora Ecotourism Association • Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA) • Mongolian Ecotourism Society • Murghab Ecotourism Association (META) • Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation (SLEF) • Sustainable Tourism Network (Nepal) • Sustainable West Virginia • Swedish Ecotourism Society • Taiwán Ecotourism Association • Thai Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) • The Ontario Ecotourism Society (TOES) • Toledo Eco Tourism Association • Virginia EcoTourism Association • Visit Florida TIES BOARD Heba Aziz, Ministry of Tourism, Oman • Tracy Berno, University of the South Pacific, Fiji • Rajiv Bhartari, Indian Forest Service & Corbett Tiger Reserve, India • Sylvie Blangy (Development Chair), TUKTU Ecotourism Consultants, France • Kelly Bricker (Board Chair) , WILD-U, Fiji & USA • Tony Charters (Vice Chair), Tony Charters & Associates, Australia • Richard Denman (Secretary), The Tourism Company, United Kingdom • Andrew Fairley (Treasurer), Turtle Island, Australia & Fiji • Kamelia Georgieva, Human Research Center, Bulgaria • Nandita Jain, Independent Consultant, India & USA • Glenn Jampol, Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn, Costa Rica • Karen Lewis, Lapa Rios Ecolodge,Costa Rica & USA • Clare Mcfarlane, Aries Tours, Australia • Hitesh Mehta, EDSA, USA • John Poutasse, Attorney, USA • Ravi Ruparel, The World Bank; Uganda • Chandra de Silva, Ranweli Holiday Village, Sri Lanka • Keith W. Sproule, Independent Consultant, USA • Masaru Takayama, Japan Ecolodge Association, Japan • Louise Twining-Ward, Tourism Resource Consultants, USA • Wolfgang Strasdas, University of Applied Science, Germany • Jan Wigsten, Nomadic Journeys, Mongolia & Sweden • Carolyn Wild, WILD International, Canada TIES STAFF Courtney Baggett, Events Coordinator • Amos Bien, Director of International Programs • Christina Cavaliere, Director of Training andEducation • Alice Crabtree, Asia-Pacific Director and Research Associate on Certification • David Diedrich, Director of Finance and Administration • Ayako Ezaki, Asia-Pacific Coordinator • Martha Honey, Ph.D., Executive Director • Katie Maschman, Director of Membership and Communications