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Environmental Sustainability & The C di T l

Gros Morne Institute of Sustainable Travel (GMIST)

Edge of the Wedge Experiential Travel

Canadian Travel Experience

Training

with

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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•“Sustainable tourism is about refocusing and re-adapting

www.sustainabletourism.net(Rachelle Dodds – Ryerson University)

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

Financial, Social, and Environmental

People, Planet and Profits

The Triple Bottom Line

The Quadruple Bottom Line

• Social, Environmental, Financial and • Governance • Spiritual or• Culture

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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

• 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’ …

Just a Few Issues we are Grappling with Today

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 h i bl i i k i d• How do you show you are a sustainably conscious company in my marketing and 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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What issues is your tourismtourism

business/organization/ community grappling

with?with?

Sustainable tourism-a Definition

TIAC

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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Key concerns - tourismResponsible 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 CO2accounts for approximately 2.6% of global CO2 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’» 70% believed air travel harms the 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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Why the focus on Aviation?European Union Aviation Entry into Emission Trading System in 2011System in 2011

Growth in Low Cost Airlines in the EU

Climate Challenge for Tourism Industry - Actions

Icarus Foundation

Canada

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.

R thi k th ki d f t i i h d l5.Re-think the kind of tourism we wish to develop.

6.Undertake further research into changing consumer valuesand impediments to behaviour change.

7.Help our tourism industry adapt to -ve effects of climate change.

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Gl b lGlobal Warming

and TourismTourism

The pollutants we pump into our atmosphere are changing its composition and preventing heat from

THE SCIENCE

and preventing heat from escaping the earth’s surface.

Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is largely responsible for climate change.

RESULTThe result is climate change: altered

Today's atmosphere contains 32 per cent more carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, than at the start of the industrial era.

The result is climate change: altered long-term weather patterns. Global average temperature has risen by 0.6 degrees Celsius since 1900, and the northern hemisphere is substantially warmer than at any point during the past 1000 years.

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Sensitivity of the Maritimesto rising sea levels

Low Low

High High

Moderate Moderate

gg

Source: The Atlas of Canada, Natural Resources Canada

Rank CountryPercentage of total emissions

(2005)

If Tourism was a Country

(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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What of the Future?:UNWTO Projections for International Tourism

What can you do to become a more sustainable tourism business or community leader?leader?Shift your company to being as carbon neutral

(reduce emissions, offset, purchase local) as possible.

For hoteliers, examine the Canadian Green Key rating program to unlock opportunities to y g gsave costs and reduce environmental impacts. (Retrofit, reduce, conserve).

Invest in clean energy technology. (wind, solar, geothermal)

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What can you do to become a more sustainable tourism business or community leader?leader?Buy food locally as much as possible and form

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 Travelwww.intrepidtravel.com/carbon

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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 price of emissionsprice of emissions.

Provide options and tools - be an educator and leader!