Session notes for participants

1. 4/26/2009
Environmental Gros Morne Institute of
Sustainable Travel
(GMIST)
Sustainability & The Edge of the Wedge
Experiential Travel
Canadian T
C di Travel l Training
with
Experience Nancy Arsenault,
Celes Davar,
Todd Lucier,
www.tourismcafe.ca
A conversation about leadership in
sustainable tourism experiences, product
development, travel & telling
“A Canadian Story”
What are
the issues?
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2. 4/26/2009
www.sustainabletourism.net
(Rachelle Dodds – Ryerson University)
•“Sustainable tourism is about refocusing and re-
adapting.
adapting
•A balance must be found between limits and usage so
that continuous changing, monitoring and planning
ensure that tourism can be managed.
•This requires thinking long-term (10, 20+ years) and
realizing that change is often cumulative, gradual and
irreversible.
•Economic, social and environmental aspects of
sustainable development must include the interests of
all stakeholders including indigenous people, local
communities, visitors, industry and government.”
Corporate/Social
Responsibility
The Triple Bottom Line
Financial, Social, and Environmental
People, Planet and Profits
The Quadruple Bottom Line
• Social, Environmental, Financial and
• Governance
• Spiritual or
• Culture
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3. 4/26/2009
Sustainable Tourism
Considers
•All impacts – positive and negative
•People will continue to travel, the
challenge is how do we as an industry
improve travel so it is more sustainable
•We will need to have the courage to
stop doing things and invest in new
ways of doing business, thinking,
advocating, promoting?
•It is part of an overall mix of elements
that makes a sustainable
community/region/planet
Just a Few Issues we are Grappling with Today
• How can I afford to be sustainable when I have so many other pressing priorities in
this recession?
• What if my community or business partners are not engaged (e.g. blue box)
• My business is impacted by environmental degradation but I am just a ‘little guy’ …
My business is impacted by environmental degradation but I am just a little guy …
what can I do about the issues (e.g. salmon)
• I would like to be culturally sensitive but I am not aware of the issues, where do I
go to learn, can I afford the time and training
• Do I have to hire and train staff differently?
• What support is available to help me improve my company’s efficiencies
• What is the customer really willing to pay for, I hear it is little or none
• Is this a fad?
• Should I promote what I’m doing? Do customers really care?
•H d
How do you show you are a sustainably conscious company in my marketing and
h i bl i i ki d
communication materials
• What’s the government doing to help small business? (e.g. taxi companies)
• I am not sure I can afford to do it this year?
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4. 4/26/2009
What issues is your
tourism
business/organization/
community grappling
with?
Sustainable tourism- TIAC
a Definition
Sustainable travel actively fosters appreciation
and stewardship of the natural, cultural, and
historic resources and special places by local
residents, the tourism industry, governments,
and visitors.
It is tourism which is viable over the long-term
because it results in a net benefit for the social,
economic, natural, and cultural environments of
the area in which it takes place.
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5. 4/26/2009
Responsible
Key concerns - tourism Tourism, UK
Global warming poses a severe threat to those things
that responsible travellers hold most dear - the welfare
of local communities globally, and the conservation
of the earth's heritage.
Figures vary but recent research shows that aviation
accounts for approximately 2.6% of global CO2
2 6%
emissions (The Stern Report).
Concern - Aviation is the fastest growing of all
contributions to global warming.
Little is understood about the net CO2 impact of our
holidays.
Air Travel and the Environment:
The Battle for Public Opinion
Recent EU Traveler Surveys:
» 70% believed ‘air travel harms the environment’
air environment
» 24% said air travel should be avoided to help
preserve the environment
» 64% agreed ‘the price of a plane ticket should reflect the environmental damage
that flying causes, even if it makes air travel more expensive.’
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6. 4/26/2009
Why the focus on Aviation?
European Union
Aviation Entry into
Emission Trading
System in 2011
Growth in Low Cost Airlines in the EU
Icarus
Climate Challenge for Tourism Foundation
Canada
Industry - Actions
1.Measure ecological and carbon footprint - baseline.
2.Understand the issues and impacts with rigor.
3.Commit to credible reduction and risk mitigation.
4.Realize the new opportunities and benefits from adjusting to a
low carbon economy.
5.Re-think the kind of tourism we wish to d
R thi k th ki d f t i i h develop.
l
6.Undertake further research into changing consumer values
and impediments to behaviour change.
7.Help our tourism industry adapt to -ve effects of climate
change.
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7. 4/26/2009
Global
Gl b l
Warming
and
Tourism
THE SCIENCE
The pollutants we pump
into our atmosphere are
changing its composition
and preventing heat from
escaping the earth’s
surface.
Burning fossil fuels such
as coal, oil and gas is
largely responsible for
climate change.
RESULT
The result is climate change: altered
Today's atmosphere long-term weather patterns. Global
contains 32 per cent more average temperature has risen by 0.6
carbon dioxide, one of the degrees Celsius since 1900, and the
main greenhouse gases, northern hemisphere is substantially
than at the start of the warmer than at any point during the
industrial era. past 1000 years.
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8. 4/26/2009
Sensitivity of the Maritimes
to rising sea levels
 Low
 Moderate
 High
g
Source: The Atlas of Canada, Natural Resources Canada
If Tourism was a Country
Percentage of
Rank Country total emissions
(2005)
1 United States 22.2%
2 China 18.4%
- European Union 11.4%
3 Russia 5.6%
- Global Tourism Sector 5.0%
4 India 4.9%
5 Japan 4.6%
6 Germany 3.0%
7 Canada 2.3%
8 United Kingdom 2.2%
9 South Korea 1.7%
10 Italy 1 7%
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9. 4/26/2009
What of the Future?:
UNWTO Projections for International Tourism
What can you do to become
a more sustainable tourism
business or community
leader?
Shift your company to being as carbon neutral
(reduce emissions, offset, purchase local) as
possible.
For hoteliers, examine the Canadian Green
y g g
Key rating program to unlock opportunities to
save costs and reduce environmental impacts.
(Retrofit, reduce, conserve).
Invest in clean energy technology. (wind,
solar, geothermal)
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10. 4/26/2009
What can you do to become
a more sustainable tourism
business or community
leader? locally as much as possible and form
Buy food
partnerships with local food producers.
Facilitate this. Partner. Create food stories that
are about local foods & local food producers.
Provide education to your guests to help
them minimize their carbon emissions during
travel and while at your destination.
Learn what other operators and
communities are doing to lead.
Intrepid Travel
www.intrepidtravel.com/carbon
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11. 4/26/2009
What can you do to help
consumers be more
sustainable in their travels?
Make sure that all of your experiences are
delivered with sustainable tourism best
practices.
Provide information and educate your guests
about carbon offsets during their travel.
Provide options for more pooled vehicles &
self-propelled travel.
What can you do to help
consumers be more
sustainable in their travels?
Help consumers to easily use a carbon
calculator to calculate their carbon emissions.
Research shows that people are starting to
factor in their carbon footprint and that means
that business has to respond by factoring in the
emissions.
price of emissions
Provide options and tools - be an educator and
leader!
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