ESTC News & Updates

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ESTC highlights, announcements and latest scoops!

ESTC Features Best of Local Sustainable Businesses and Green Living Leaders
Conversations with Oregon Sustainable Tourism Pioneers, Portland’s Leading Green Businesses, Eco-Friendly Fashion and Local Culinary Delights

Opening Plenary Session “Oregon's Sustainability Story” Wednesday, September 8th, 3:00-5:00pm Grand Ballroom I, Hilton Portland (921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, OR) Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer and local business, tourism and tribal leaders join in an interactive discussion about livability, place-making, and sustainability, and how these shared values have factored in shaping Oregon as an attractive sustainable tourism destination.

Sustainable Fashion Show at the ESTC 2010 Opening Reception Wednesday, September 8th, 5:00-7:30pm Pavilion Ballroom, Hilton Portland (921 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, OR) In partnership with the fashion show producer Jillian Rabe, the ESTC Opening Reception will present a runway of Oregon's most sustainable designers and apparel companies. The Sustainable Fashion Show is scheduled to begin at 5:30pm. Sponsors: Clair Vintage, Carolyn Hart, O’Pearl, KEEN Footwear, Pendleton, CVDC and Looptworks.

*Tickets to the ESTC 2010 Opening Reception will be available for sale ($35 per person) at the ESTC Registration Desk (ticket booth), located in the Plaza Foyer, Hilton Portland, on Wednesday, September 8th.

ESTC 2010 Sustainable Culinary Showcase Thursday, September 9th, 7:30-10:30pm The Ecotrust Building (721 NW Ninth Ave. Portland, OR) The Sustainable Culinary Showcase is an interactive and fun evening networking event featuring best local sustainable restaurants, wineries and breweries. Official Sustainable Culinary Showcase Sponsors: Ecotrust and Phresh Organic Catering.

*For those not registered for the full conference, tickets ($35 per person) can be purchased at the Registration Desk (ticket booth), located in the Plaza Foyer, Hilton Portland, or online. 

Key Conference Highlights

ESTC 2010 Keynote Speaker: Rick Ridgeway
Rick Ridgeway, Board Chairman of Freedom to Roam Coalition, and Vice President of Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects for Patagonia, Inc., will be presenting a keynote address at this year’s ESTC. Mr. Ridgeway will be presenting the Freedom to Roam initiative, a broad coalition of businesses, government agencies and environmental groups committed to the protection of wildlife corridors and connected landscapes.

>> Learn more about the ESTC 2010 speakers

ESTC 2010 Keynote Speaker: Bruce Poon Tip
"We love changing people's lives through travel and I believe ESTC is a perfect forum to help us advance that goal. We've proven time and again through initiatives like our voluntourism projects that sustainability and travel needn't be mutually exclusive. Smart travel that respects local ecosystems, economies and communities not only provides a more exciting experience for our travellers, it's simply the right thing to do." - Bruce Poon Tip, Founder, Gap Adventures

>> Learn more about the ESTC 2010 speakers

Portland Field Session: Greening Signature Buildings
Green building is key to creating authentic experiences of a place, and in Portland, the city with the most LEED-certified buildings per capita in the nation, greening of its buildings plays a crucial role in the eco-story of the city. Portland boasts vibrant city center, transit-friendly urban lifestyle and richly diverse, compact, and green neighborhoods. What have we learned about the greening of our built environment and its draw as a tourist destination? What are visitors seeking as they visit these neighborhoods and reflect on their own sense of place?

>> Learn more about the ESTC 2010 field sessions

How to Make the Most of Your Marketing Budget
Online marketing & social networking for your tourism business. Speakers: Nancy Harrison, Adventure Media LLC; Allison Park, GoSeeTell; Peggy Bendel, Bendel Communications International.

>> Learn more about the ESTC 2010 sessions and speakers

Voluntourism Field Sessions: Leave Positive Footprint
For the first time in the event’s history, delegates of this year's ESTC will have the opportunity to participate in actual volunteer activities during field sessions. TIES is working with the Planeterra Foundation to offer conference delegates an opportunity to learn about and experience voluntourism first-hand, by participating in hands-on activities to benefit the local community - a chance to give back through travel!

>> Learn more about the ESTC 2010 field sessions 

ESTC Press Releases

Review the latest news from the conference organizers and learn more about the ESTC!

September 1, 2010: Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Features Best of Local Sustainable Businesses and Green Living Leaders - This year, the ESTC is being hosted in Portland, Oregon, a leading U.S. city that has been consistently rated “the most sustainable city” in the country. Co-hosted by Travel Portland and Travel Oregon, the ESTC 2010 will feature several sessions and networking events that showcase the best of local sustainable businesses and green living leaders.

August 24, 2010: 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). 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.

July 20, 2010: Biodiversity and Our Lives: Celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference - TIES is pleased to collaborate with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to host the following three events during the upcoming Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC): Global Perspective Workshop “Biodiversity and Our Lives” on Wednesday, September 8th; Award Ceremony for the 2010 Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website (ITBW) Award on Friday, September 10th, and ITBW Web 2.0 Workshop on Saturday, September 11th.

July 7, 2010: Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Features Gap Adventures Founder as a Keynote Speaker - Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip will share his intriguing and visionary insights on ecotourism and sustainability trends when he takes to the stage at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2010 (ESTC 2010), in Portland, Oregon, between September 8th and 10th.

June 15, 2010: Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Features Voluntourism Activities for the First Time - For the first time in the event’s history, delegates of the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) held Sept. 8-10 in Portland, Oregon, USA will have the opportunity to participate in actual volunteer activities during field sessions.

>> View & Download All TIES Press Release (Ecotourism.org)
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