sustainability

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just issued a set of criteria of the sustainable tourism Green Lotus Label applied for tourism accommodation in Viet Nam.

The certificate of the sustainable tourism Green Lotus Label (Green Lotus Label) is granted to tourism accommodation which meet standards on environmental protection and sustainable development, making efforts to protect the environment, use natural resources and energy efficiently, contribute to preservation of heritage and development of the local economy, culture and society, and pursue sustainable tourism development.

The Green Lotus Label has 5 levels, from 1 green lotus to 5 green lotuses which recognizes efforts of accommodations to protect environment and develop sustainable tourism not depending on the rank and type of accommodations.

GSTC Criteria

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has recognized ten organizations for their public commitment to using GSTC Criteria to set up specific standards. The standards adopted by the ten organizations are consistent with GSTC Criteria, the first and only global framework for defining sustainable travel benchmarks in a sustainable travel standards structure.

GSTC-Recognized Certification Programs

The following ten organizations have achieved the GSTC-Recognized status for their certification programs:

Women Win Recognition for Innovative Businesses

From a company that transforms groundnut shells into fuel briquettes in Gambia, to an enterprise that has developed solar ovens in Burkina Faso, to an initiative that trains and employs street youth to collect waste materials in Ghana, which they then transform into handmade designer products, to a business in Kenya where women produce aloe-based skin care products, these are just some the 35 winners of the 2011 SEED Awards, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today. And this year, in addition to the general SEED Awards, a special Gender Equity Award was announced as part of SEED's partnership with UN Women.

A special publication in the context of changing climate and upcoming Rio+20 meeting

Climate change, increasing natural disasters, food and energy crises, population growth, water scarcity and desertification, loss of biodiversity, degradation of ecosystems, migration, and growth of cities – the planet is currently facing a multitude of challenges. Mountain regions and their inhabitants are disproportionally affected, but also offer significant opportunities for solutions.

By providing key environmental services such as freshwater, biodiversity conservation and hydropower to more than half of humanity, mountain ecosystems play a critical role in world development. Mountain systems are essential building blocks for long-term sustainable global development, poverty alleviation and the transition to a green economy. In a world heading towards water, food and energy crisis, sustainable mountain development is a global priority.

Open Letter by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)

On October 11th, 2011, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) published an 'open letter' sharing some insights and clarifications on the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, their purposes and functions.

In this letter, Dr. Kelly Bricker (Chair, GSTC), and Ms. Erika Harms (Executive Director, GSTC) state:

"The GSTC Criteria were developed to create a common language about sustainable tourism to serve as a basis for further dialogue by tourism practitioners and academics, government agencies and consumers. The GSTC Criteria are not a certification... It is the right and responsibility of the local and regional authorities or programs to decide the importance of each element of sustainable tourism as necessary. To argue impacts should be prioritized at a global level while also conceding that challenges to the impacts of tourism are unique by location, are incompatible ideas."

Further, the letter clarifies:

"If you're worried about where your pork comes from at home, why wouldn't you worry about that when on holiday?" - Professor Harold Goodwin, International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT)

By Frances Figart

The panel on "Mainstream Goes Green: Many Shades of Green" (Monday, Sept 19th) at the upcoming Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) will address, through case studies from various organizations and destinations, questions such as: What does it mean for mass tourism to go green? What should be appropriate and realistic goals? One of the speakers on this panel is Jerusha Greenwood, Assistant Professor in the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration department at California Polytechnic State University. She will present on "Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism Marketing - A California Case Study", focusing on the state of California’s work with tourism businesses and sustainability practices. See the interview below with Jerusha to get a glimpse of the issues and questions that she will address at the conference.

LEED As The Seed: Sustainability Is An Ongoing Process

Call for Nominations

The Equator Initiative announces the call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2012, which will recognize 25 outstanding local initiatives that are working to advance sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. All winning initiatives will receive US $5,000, with 10 selected for "special recognition" and a total of US $20,000 each. Representatives of all winning communities will participate in Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, in Brazil in June 2012. In recognition of the new and emerging challenges that face local and indigenous communities the world over, the Equator Prize 2012 will have an expanded thematic scope and geographical eligibility.

>> Learn more about the Equator Prize 2012 eligibility requirements and selection criteria.

Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) shares some examples and insights into organizational sustainability policies: "Creating a sustainability policy can help you by creating clear goals and guidelines to which both you and your clients can adhere." (Source: Sample Sustainability Policies | GMIC)