by Bradley — published on November 12th, 2008
San Francisco, November 12 to 13, 2008
Coop America is sponsoring its green business conference in conjunction with the annual Green Festival. The 2008 conference has four tracks:
- Go Climate-Friendly: How to reduce your company’s carbon footprint;
- Innovative Financial Models to grow your green business;
- Managing for success in this ever-expanding market; and
- Marketing of your sustainable programs to differentiate your company from your competitors.
Contact:
Coop America’s Green Business Conference
Highlights of the 2007 Conference
Coop America’s Green Biz Network
by Editor — published on November 3rd, 2008
Park Superintendent Mike Tollefson began “Experience Your Yosemite” when he first arrived at the national park in 2003, and today, Halloween, is his last program before retiring at the end of January 2009.
“This is our largest group in the six years,” he tells the sixty participants who hail from the park’s neighboring gateway communities. “We thought some of you would be discouraged by the rain, but it looks like everyone is here.”
Tollefson counts “Experience Your Yosemite” as one of his many accomplishments during his 36 years with the National Park Service. His longest tenure was his last assignment, here where it all began in 1864. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, creating the park, 52 years before Congress established the park service itself.
“Over 1,200 people have participated in the program,” which Tollefson uses to “help dispel the myths” about the park service’s plans for Yosemite. “It can be frustrating, the misinformation out there. Too often people are debating important topics without being fully informed.”
This group of Yosemite’s neighbors, mostly retirees who have settled in the surrounding communities, have squeezed into the Winter Room at the historic Ahwahnee Lodge in Yosemite Valley. Each person stands to offer a brief introduction. Almost half the group lives in Groveland, the gateway community on Yosemite’s northern border. “Is anyone left in Groveland?” a Mariposa resident inquires.
After the introductions, the superintendent opens the floor to questions.
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by Bradley — published on October 27th, 2008
Eco- and Sustainable Tourism Conference
October 27 to 29, 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, will host the third North American Eco- and Sustainable Tourism Conference. The three day conference is sponsored by the the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective, and the International Ecotourism Society, TIES.
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by Bradley — published on October 3rd, 2008
Tools for Sustainable Communities, Economies and the Environment
Sponsored by the Sierra Business Council and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
October 3-4, 2008
Mammoth Resort Conference, Mammoth Lakes,
The conference features two tracks–creating sustainable communities and the new rural economy. The event also includes a focus on youth, looking at the job opportunities in the emerging green economy, and “investing in youth” through leadership development and civic engagement.
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by Bradley — published on September 29th, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa
Santa Rosa, CA
The conference explores how California communities and destinations can develop wildlife tourism as a rural economic development strategy.
Representatives from Washington State will describe their successful program, and participants will tour the state’s newest viewing site, Laguna de Santa Rosa. Afternoon sessions focus on marketing strategies. The evening reception will be held in conjunction with “Beyond the Gateways,” Rural Tourism Conference.
The California Watchable Wildlife is a statewide committee of government agencies, non-profits, and private businesses that promote wildlife watching at the state’s diverse habitats. According to the organization, six million Californians participate in wildlife viewing activities on their travels in the state, up from two million in 1995.
Contact:
Watchable Wildlife Conference
California Watchable Wildlife
Beyond the Gateways, Rural Tourism Conference
by Editor — published on September 29th, 2008
September 29 to October 1, 2008
Flamingo Resort Hotel and Spa
Santa Rosa, CA
The California Travel Industry Association, CalTIA, and the Santa Rosa Convention and Visitors Bureau are sponsoring “Beyond the Gateways,” focusing on marketing the state’s rural destinations.
Sessions focus on rural tourism in the current economic climate, “partnering” with gateway cities and California’s Welcome Centers, and nature tourism. The Internet is an increasingly important marketing tool for rural destinations, and the conference includes sessions on “social media,” email marketing, and best practices for websites. The opening reception on September 29th is held in conjunction with the Watchable Wildlife Conference.
Contact:
Beyond the Gateways website
CalTIA, 916/932-2580, info@caltia.com
Visit Sonoma, Santa Rose CVB
Watchable Wildlife Conference
by Bradley — published on September 27th, 2008
Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change
September 27, 2008
As part of the United Nation’s World Tourism Day celebration, Peru will host the an international conference. The event will kick off the UN World Tourism Organization’s year-long campaign to encourage tourism stakeholders–businesses, destinations, government agencies, non-governmental organizations–to adopt sustainable practices in response to global climate change.
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by Bradley — published on September 22nd, 2008
September 22-26, 2008
Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys California
The Sierra Leadership Institute combines training in specific leadership skills with discussions of the social, natural and financial challenges facing the Sierra Nevada range. Participants apply the skills and knowledge they’ve learned to problems in their own organizations, businesses, and communities, then report back their results at annual and regional gatherings. This practical, interactive experience helps participants understand, anticipate and learn to surmount the difficulties involved in building local and regional support for innovative projects whether it be affordable housing, launching new businesses, main street parking, or open space protection.
Over 200 Sierra Leadership Institute alumni currently work throughout the Sierra to help sustain the quality of life in one of the best regions in America to grow a business, seek adventure, engage in community and raise a family.
Contact
Anna Toso, atoso@sbcouncil.org, 530.582.4800 ext.10.
Sierra Business Council
by Bradley — published on September 12th, 2008
“Leading a Climate of Change: Hot topics, cold facts and new answers for the Sierra”
September 12 to 14, 2008
North Tahoe Conference Center, Kings Beach, CA
The three day conference kicks off Friday with a day long “Yard and Garden Summit,” designed to teach homeowners, public agencies, organizations and businesses best practices for creating Sierra-friendly landscapes that curb water use and reduce pollution.
Workshops on Saturday and Sunday will focus on such topics as:
- Moving to a Green Economy: Capitalizing on recreation, ecotourism and local agriculture;
- Too Many Taking to the Trails? Recreation management in the Sierra;
- Warming up to Cooler Land Use: Making the connection between development patterns and climate change;
- Sierran Grown: How the region’s farms and ranches can help rejuvenate local economies; and
- Opportunity or Crisis: Forest management and climate change.
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by Bradley — published on August 31st, 2008
San Francisco Civic Center and Ft. Mason, Labor Day Weekend
Friday August 29 to Monday, September 1, 2008
Slow Food Nation’s inaugural festival will offer activities for all ages, including a markeplace, tastings, dinners, talks, forums, workshops, films and a music festival. The three day event is geared to transform participants’ perception of food, and to engage them in the international effort to build a sustainable, just, and healthy food system.
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