for immediate release
July 13th 2007
MADISON, Wisconsin
North American Ecotourism Conference to be held in a Green City: Madison, WI.
MADISON, WI—Environmental stewardship is nothing new. It made sense to the Native Americans that originally lived across North America. It made sense to John Muir when, inspired by this state’s beauty in the mid-1800s, founded the Sierra Club and started a movement that would become National Parks Service. It made sense to Aldo Leopold in the early 20th Century as he penned the infamous “Sand County Almanac” in central Wisconsin. It still made sense to Wisconsin native and former state governor Gaylord Nelson when he founded “Earth Day” in 1970.
Stewardship – how to make earth-wise choices for future generations while enjoying this beautiful planet we’ve inherited – will be a defining discussion at the second North American Ecotourism Conference in Madison on Sept. 26-28. The conference is expected to bring specialists, business leaders and participants from throughout the United States and Canada to discuss how North America can survive, sustain and prosper while embracing environmental stewardship.
More than 700 million worldwide travelers make tourism one of the largest industries on the planet, according to Kelly Bricker, chairman of the TIES board of directors. The potential long-term impact this activity could have on the future of the earth is a topic no one can afford to ignore.
“Ecotourism and sustainable travel are important because as a responsible society we need to do everything we can to protect our natural resources, encourage and embrace diverse cultures, support sustainable ways in alleviating the social ills that face many developing nations,” Bricker said.
Madison has been has been proactive in supporting a conference of this magnitude and the importance of sustainable tourism, Bricker added, which is why TIES is delighted to hold this very important meeting here. As a progressive community in its own right with a legacy of stewardship and a convention and visitors bureau that is a leader in ecotourism marketing, organizers are looking forward to a robust discussion on issues facing the world environment, as well as emerging solutions,” she added.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with a state being proactive on sustainable development,” Bricker said. “First, Wisconsin is actively engaged in travel within the state. Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism in partnership with the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative developed a program called Travel Green Wisconsin. This program, one of the first of its kind, is designed to encourage travel and tourism related businesses to improve their impact on the environment and demonstrates their commitment to a sustainable tourism future in Wisconsin,” Bricker said.
“As a global industry, we have the capacity to promote and support sustainable forms of economic development which create healthy and viable communities, and protect natural resources,” Bricker said.
The 2007 North American Ecotourism Conference is open to the public. To register online go to www.ecotourismconference.org.
Media contacts:
Krista Flanagan: Greater Madison Visitors & Conventions Bureau flanagan@visitmadison.com; 800.373.6376×3945
Mikael Castro: The International Ecotourism Society mcastro@ecotourism.org; 202.347.9203×422
