Sustainable Travel

U.S. travelers are more familiar with sustainable travel terminology than they were two years ago but remain unwilling to pay more for eco-friendly travel options, according to the July travelhorizons, the quarterly consumer survey co-authored by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership.

"Although consumers are reluctant to pay more to support green travel service suppliers, they are definitely paying attention to those who are green, even in this down economy," said Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership. "Travel service suppliers should therefore continue to adopt green practices that have a minimum impact on consumers' wallets."

The percentage of American travelers who consider themselves "environmentally conscious" has not changed since 2007 (78 percent). However, there has been a remarkable increase in the percentage who report familiarity with the term "carbon footprint" (from 12 percent in July 2007 to 54 percent in July 2009).

Awareness of the term "green travel" also improved from 9 percent in July 2007 to 22 percent in July 2009. Despite these increases, only 9 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more to use travel service suppliers that offer eco-friendly options for travelers, and only 3 percent have purchased a carbon offset when booking travel.

Among consumers who would pay higher rates or fares for eco-friendly options, roughly four in 10 (39 percent) would pay as much as a 5 percent fare or rate premium to an environmentally responsible supplier, and an equal percentage would pay between 5 and 9 percent more.

"Consumers are looking for 'green travel' choices at the right price. The travel community has developed thousands of options and we are adding more daily," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association.

"Earlier this year, U.S. Travel and American Express launched TravelGreen.org to facilitate best practice sharing among travel companies and provide a clearinghouse on the latest research and trends in green travel."

Other key findings:

* While consumers believe travel service suppliers should be good stewards of their environment, over half (54 percent) also believe that individuals themselves have the greatest responsibility for preserving and protecting the environment.

* Six out of 10 (58 percent) travelers say they believe that environmental programs by travel service suppliers could have a positive effect on the environment.

* The majority (51 percent) of consumers will continue to patronize "green" travel service suppliers regardless of an economic downturn. In fact, nearly half (48 percent) of travelers say that continuing to support environmentally responsible travel service suppliers is a necessity, even in an economic downturn.

* Less than one-third (29 percent) say it is easy to find out about environmental policies and initiatives of travel service suppliers.

The U.S. Travel Association, in partnership with American Express, has created www.travelgreen.org as a one-stop shop for information on sustainable travel. The site features research and case studies on "green" programs from destinations and travel suppliers.

travelhorizons is a quarterly survey of American's travel intentions viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments that is co-authored by Ypartnership and the U.S. Travel Association. The most recent iteration of this nationally representative survey of 2,362 adults was conducted July 21-28, 2009.

Visit www.ustravel.org and www.ypartnership.com.

Posted by BrianM at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Conde Nast Traveler announced the winners of the magazine's third annual World Savers Awards, honoring travel companies from around the world for their leadership in social responsibility in five key areas: poverty alleviation, cultural and/or environmental preservation, education programs, wildlife conservation, and health initiatives.

"Despite these challenging economic times, corporate social responsibility is as important as ever," Editor-in-Chief Klara Glowczewska said. "The travel industry is on track to generate $7.3 trillion in revenue this year -- a number that represents an enormous opportunity improve our planet, and our World Savers Awards recognize those companies turning that potential into a reality."

The 2009 World Savers Awards Winners:

Education Programs: Puntacana Resort & Club - This luxury resort in the Dominican Republic has built schools to accommodate its workers and their children.

Poverty Alleviation: The Haciendas - This small chain located in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula turned abandoned haciendas into chic resorts and hired local villagers as construction workers, waiters and accountants and helped others start their own businesses

Wildlife Conservation: Bushmans Kloof - This South African safari lodge has worked to replenish the wildlife in the surrounding area.

Preservation (Environmental/Cultural): Air New Zealand and Kimpton Hotels - Air New Zealand is leading the way in exploring alternate fuel sources and Kimpton, in addition to requiring all its dry cleaning vendors to recycle hangers, has introducted 70 mandatory eco-friendly products and practices.

Health Initiatives: Accor - With 111 hotels in Africa, where HIV/AIDS hits the hardest, this hotel chain launched an in-house educational program and started testing all its employees for the disease.

Overall Winners By Industry Category:

Small Chains: The Haciendas
Large Chains: Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
City Hotel: Willard InterContinental
Small Resorts: Bushmans Kloof
Large Resorts: Puntacana Resort & Club
Cruise Lines: Ecoventura
Airlines: Japan Airlines
Tour Operators: Gap Adventures

The 2009 World Savers Awards are featured in the September issue, which hits newsstands on Tuesday, August 25. World Savers Awards winners will be recognized at an award ceremony September 21 at the annual Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Congress in New York City.

World Savers Awards Methodology: To determine the award finalists and winners, Conde Nast Traveler editors reviewed over 100 applications and narrowed them to 36 finalists. An independent panel of 20 judges, comprised of leaders from the travel industry and non-governmental organizations, rated how applicants exercised social responsibility in 5 key areas: poverty alleviation, cultural and/or environmental preservation, education programs, wildlife conservation, and health initiatives. There were 8 categories of travel company: small hotel chains, large hotel chains, city hotels, small lodges and resorts, large lodges and resorts, tour operators, cruiselines, and airlines. This year judges also looked at overall scores, to give credit to companies with admirable programs in a number of areas.

Judges Panel:

Ralph Buckley, director, International Centre for Ecotourism Research, Griffith University, Australia

Bill Chameides, dean, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Laurie David, NRDC trustee; environmental activist; co-producer, An Inconvenient Truth

Dorinda Elliott, deputy editor, Conde Nast Traveler

Marcia Gay Harden, environmentalist; Oscar-winning actress

Karl Holz, president, Disney Cruise Line

Martha Honey, co-director, Center for Responsible Travel

Kara Hurst, managing director, East Coast, Business for Social Responsibility

Neel Inamdar, senior adviser, ecotourism, Conservation International

Rob Katz, CEO, RockResorts/Vail Resorts

Ron Mader, director, Planeta.com

Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO, Marriott International

Hitesh Mehta, landscape architect and sustainable tourism planner, HM Design

Brian Mullis, president, Sustainable Travel International

Bruce Poon Tip, CEO, Gap Adventures

Kate Roberts, vice president, Population Services International

Andrea Ross, director of tours/marketing, Journeys Within

Shannon Stowell, president, Adventure Travel Trade Association

Tensie Whelan, president, Rainforest Alliance

Brook Wilkinson, consumer news correspondent, Conde Nast Traveler

Timothy Wirth, president, United Nations Foundation

For a complete list of winners, runners up, honorable mentions, and judges panel, visit http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501373.

Posted by BrianM at 9:16 AM | Permalink

The science is clear: human-caused global warming is a reality. Now it’s time to focus on solutions. We need strong leadership from our governments in setting firm greenhouse gas reduction targets, and we need to look at a range of policies and practices. There’s no legitimate argument about whether the problem exists, but there is still some debate about the best ways to tackle it.

Take carbon offsets. Some people compare them to “indulgences” granted by the church allowing sinners to avoid punishment for some transgressions. Others argue that offsets can be one of many legitimate tools used to tackle climate change, and that high-quality carbon offsets can result in real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon offsets are becoming an increasingly popular way for individuals, businesses, and even governments to reduce their impact on the environment. The “voluntary” carbon market, made up of all these purchases of carbon offsets, increased in value globally from $305 million in 2007 to $460 million in 2008. If you add in the offsets that are used in national and international regulatory programs, such as the Kyoto Protocol and European Emissions Trading System, the total carbon market now approaches $139 billion a year.

So carbon offsets are here to stay. But what are they? Well, a carbon offset is a credit for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated by one project, such as a solar-power installation, that can be used to cancel out the emissions from another source. Carbon offsets are typically measured in tonnes of CO2 or their equivalent. Those who buy offsets are essentially investing in other projects that reduce emissions on their behalf, either because they are unable to do so themselves or because it is too expensive to make their own reductions.

One thing to note is that not all carbon offsets are created equal. Because the market is new and largely unregulated, some offsets are unlikely to have any benefit for the climate. This is one reason why carbon offsets have gotten a bad rap.

So, what makes a good offset? Opinions vary on some of the finer points, but most experts agree that several conditions are necessary. Good offsets are “additional”; that is, they result in greenhouse gas reductions that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred without the incentive of carbon offsets. For example, if a company is required by regulation to install technology to reduce emissions from its factory, the resulting emission reductions should not be sold as offsets.

A good carbon offset should also result in “permanent” reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This is one reason why some organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation, recommend against using tree-planting to generate offsets. Although trees have many benefits for the environment, they make risky carbon offsets because they are susceptible to fire, logging, and insect infestation – any one of which can release the stored carbon back into the atmosphere and render the offset worthless.

Good carbon offsets should also be verified by qualified auditors to ensure that the reductions have actually taken place.

Carbon offsets that are real, additional, and permanent can have a direct, positive impact on the climate. And they can create some other important benefits. They provide money for much-needed renewable-energy and energy-efficiency projects, which can help move society away from fossil fuels and toward a clean-energy economy. Buying carbon offsets can also help to deal with emissions that aren’t currently covered by government regulations, such as international air travel. Carbon offsets can also put a value on carbon, and help to educate businesses and consumers about the climate impact of their daily decisions, and where they should target their own reduction efforts.

Of course, people should do everything they can to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but when that isn’t possible or feasible, buying high-quality offsets at least ensures that an equivalent amount of reductions is made elsewhere.

Carbon offsets alone won’t solve climate change. We still need to find ways to make deep reductions in our own emissions. But the problem of climate change is so massive that it requires a whole range of solutions, and offsets can be part of that.

For additional help in guiding your decisions about carbon offsets, my foundation and the Pembina Institute have just released a guide, Purchasing Carbon Offsets, available at www.davidsuzki.org.

Take David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

Posted by BrianM at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) recently launched several initiatives to engage members and the traveling public in greening the hospitality industry, including a Green Partner Program, GreenQuest tracking system, and Green Tips for Travelers.

The Green Partner program allows AH&LA members the opportunity to donate funds to plant trees via the Nature Conservancy’s Plant A Billion drive. Green Partners, which to date include HD Supply; Hotel Felix; Pineapple Hospitality, Inc.; and Project Planet, sponsor AH&LA events by donating $1 per attendee, which in turn plants that total number of trees. There is an additional $500 program fee, and the program launched last month when more than 800 trees were planted following the AH&LA Summer Summit in Chicago. The program will carry through all future AH&LA events, including several golf events and the association’s annual Fall Conference.

AH&LA allied member Burton Energy Group has teamed with the association’s Green Task Force and developed GreenQuest, an energy and water usage tracking system to help hoteliers lower utility expenses. GreenQuest complements seven of AH&LA’s 11 Minimum Green Guidelines. This free, Web-based service describes effective environmental operations procedures, measures the effects of current and future initiatives, and compares a property’s eco progress against similar hotels. This system can help properties improve their EPA rating in addition to helping track progress throughout AH&LA’s Green Guidelines Challenge—which remains open for submissions until October 1. The Challenge asks hoteliers to take on the association’s 11 minimum guidelines for environmental efficiency, helping improve their performance and bottom line. The member with the best success story will win a prize package courtesy of HD Supply.

Completing the current round of new initiatives, the Green Tips for Travelers are designed to help properties encourage their guests to make their stay eco-friendly. All eight tips, created by AH&LA green guru Pat Maher, are available for public viewing online and AH&LA members can download and customize official tips cards for display within their hotel.

Source: The American Hotel & Lodging Association

Posted by BrianM at 9:46 AM | Permalink