Going Beyond Green: Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Implements Strategy to Walk the Talk on Sustainability

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) has announced a partnership with Offsetters, the Official Green Conference Sponsor of the upcoming Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) (September 8-10, Portland, Oregon, USA). Offsetters is a leading carbon management solutions provider based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, helping individuals and companies understand, reduce and offset their climate impact.

Known for its high quality climate solutions, Offsetters was selected as the first ever Official Supplier of Carbon Offsets in the history of the Olympic movement for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Representing Offsetters, Kari Grist, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Client Engagement, will be presenting on the experiences of "Offsetting an Olympic-sized Footprint," sharing lessons learned on how Offsetters engaged the public and sponsors to take action on climate change.

"Offsetting is just one way that individuals and companies can actively contribute to climate change mitigation," said Kari Grist, Offsetters. "Every individual and organization has a responsibility to lower emissions whenever possible by choosing lower impact lifestyle and business choices. After reducing emissions, offsetting is an effective way to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Using the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol (GHGProtocol.org) by World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Offsetters will calculate the carbon footprint of the conference including vehicle fuel, electricity, waste and power usage of the event venue. Offsetters invest in projects that focus on permanent reductions of GHG through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

"Our partnership with Offsetters represents not only the commitment to 'walk the talk' by implementing sustainability measures to lower the climate footprint of our event, but also the efforts to demonstrate that green events offer a great opportunity to create awareness and encourage the implementation of positive action. This is one of many strategies to contribute to reducing our impacts," noted Dr. Kelly Bricker, Chair, TIES Board of Directors.

In addition to partnering with Offsetters to offset the carbon footprint of the event, the ESTC 2010 has implemented several strategies to lower its climate impact. All conference attendees, for example, will enjoy the convenience of MAX light rail connecting downtown Portland and the Portland International Airport, as well as the Portland Streetcar providing an easy (and free) way to get around in the city. TIES also works with caterers offering local and organic meals. Supporting locally grown and produced food will conserve energy used in transportation and promote local products that are grown using environmentally friendly practices.

More information on the sustainability practices to green the ESTC 2010 can be found at: http://www.ecotourismconference.org/greening-the-conference.