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United Nations Code of Ethics for Tourism

The United Nations World Tourism Organization adopted the ten point Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (PDF) at the organization’s General Assembly meeting in Santiago, Chile, October 1999. According to Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization:

“The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. . . With international tourism forecast to nearly triple in volume over the next 20 years, members of the World Tourism Organization believe that the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is needed to help minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for residents of tourism destinations.

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Farming on the Edge

American Farmland Trust is hosting its fourth national conference, “Farming on the Edge: the Next Generation,” November 13-15, 2006, in Newark, Delaware. Read the rest of this entry »

Sierra Business Council Conference

The Sierra Business Council holds its work its 12th Annual Conference in Yosemite National Park November 1-3, 2006. Details aren’t yet available, but save the date.

Adventure Travel Summit

The Adventure Travel Trade Association is hosting the Adventure Travel World Summit in Seattle, October 19-21, 2006.

The Summit will bring together diverse facets of the industry to more effectively tap into the burgeoning potential of adventure travel.

Adventure travel agents, lodges, resorts, attractions, and travel-oriented gear manufacturers will participate in the three day event, along with media, travel, marketing and technology service organizations, academic institutions, research enterprises, tourism and recreational governmental agencies.

  • The first day of the 2006 Summit (Oct. 19) will again offer a full day of adventure activities, followed by the Summit’s welcoming event that evening.
  • The second and third days will offer interspersed periods of structured networking adjacent to in-depth sessions and interactive workshops concerning research and trends, marketing, partnering, operations, standards, risk management and responsible adventure tourism.

The Adventure Travel Trade Association provides professional support and research on industry trends to its members. The organization is committed to sustainable, and environmentally and culturally sensitive adventure travel practices.

Solar Power Expo

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) are sponsoring the Solar Power Conference and Expo, Oct. 16-19, 2006, in San Jose, California.

Billed as the largest business-to-business solar event held in the United States, over 100 companies are expect to exhibit at the conference. The conference will include three tracks:

  • Policy: the California Solar Initiative, Federal tax credits, green building standards;
  • Markets: utilities, residential, and businesses; and
  • Technology: concentrating PVs, integrated shingles, and polymer water heating systems, and more.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is the national trade association of solar energy manufacturers, distributors, contractors, architects, and marketers working to expand the use of solar technologies in the global marketplace.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is a collaboration of utilities, energy service providers and the photovoltaic industry working together to encourage commercial use of new solar electric power business models.

Sustainable Tourism Best Practices

The Rainforest Alliance has published a Guide for Sustainable Tourism Best Practices. The guide, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, includes a series of principles and concrete recommendations that can be implemented by companies, communities and individuals whose livelihood depends on land-use.

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Green Tourism Curriculum

Sustainable Tourism International has teamed up with George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies to offer an online hospitality management curriculum that integrates the principles of ecotourism and responsible travel. The program includes:

  • Sustainable Management for Tourism Destinations,
  • EcoToursim Management,
  • EcoLodge Development,
  • Corporate Social Responsibility for Tour Operators, and
  • Community-based Tourism Development.

For more information, contact STI, info@sustainabletravel.com.

Developing Tourism Opportunities

At the October 2005 Sierra Business Council conference, a group formmed to promote sustainable tourism based on the arts, heritage, range and agricuture. This group of businesses, artists, farmers and ranchers, visitors bureaus, representatives of local government and native tribes has continued to meet.

As a next step, the group will hold a workshop on Developing Tourism Opportunities Workshop Wednesday and Thursday, June 7 and 8, 2006, in Placerville.

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Mammoth Lakes growth illustrates challenges facing Sierra Conservancy

Village at Mammoth LakesA giant construction crane looms above the Village at Mammoth Lakes, where thirty area residents met to discuss the draft strategic plan for the new Sierra Nevada Conservancy. The setting in this town of 7,500 in the eastern Sierras provides a stark reminder about the challenges facing the Sierras, where real estate development and unchecked population growth is transforming California’s mountain communities.

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State Bonds and Smart Growth

The Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities will discuss strategies to ensure the propsed California infrastructure bond supports smart growth in the SF region, Wednesday, May 17, 9 am to noon.

The quarterly alliance meeting takes place at the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, 50 California St, #2600, near Embarcadera BART.

Check out the alliance’s website, or contact them for more information.