Ecotourism/ Hospitality

Organizations

BlueGreen Meetings
http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/
Resources to make environmentally responsible choices for meetings.

Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel
http://www.sustainabletravel.org
Information, conferences, cases studies to stimulate sustainable business travel.

Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development
http://www.ecotourismcesd.org/
A program of Stanford University and the Institute for Policy Studies. Mission is to design, monitor, evaluate, and improve ecotourism and sustainable tourism practices and principles. Its policy-oriented research focuses on ecotourism as a tool for poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation, as well as socially and environmentally responsible tourism practices.

CERES Green Hotel Initiative
http://www.ceres.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=761&srcid=748
Green Hotel Initiative (GHI) is a Ceres program designed to increase and demonstrate market demand for environmentally responsible hotel services. Despite the promotion of environmentally sound practices by environmental advocates, even within the industry, hotels currently feel little demand for these services.

Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions
http://www.cerc04.org/
Energy, transportation, waste, hotels, construction, event planning.

Conservation International Ecotourism
http://www.ecotour.org
Ecotourism is an important part of regional strategies to conserve biodiversity. Learn about it here along with some of the top destinations.

Green Commercial Kitchens
http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/going-green/default.aspx
Learn how to green a commercial kitchen in the foodservice industry. Take steps to get your kitchen certified.

Green Hotels Association
http://www.greenhotels.com
Lists green hotel members; Meeting Planners Questionnaire.

International Centre for Responsible Tourism
http://www.icrtourism.org
Sharing best practice in all aspects of responsible tourism: reports, news, events, projects around the world.

International Ecotourism Society
http://www.ecotourism.org

International Tourism Partnership
http://www.internationaltourismpartnership.org
Information, support, publications for responsible tourism.

Nature Conservancy's Ecotourism Program
http://nature.org/aboutus/travel/ecotourism/
Works with local conservation organizations in more than 15 countries in the planning, development and management of ecotourism projects.

Planeta.com
http://www.planeta.com
Clearinghouse for ecotourism around the globe. Online forums and conferences, articles, reports, workshops.

Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Tourism Program
hhttp://www.rainforest-alliance.org/tourism.cfm?id=main
Information for travelers, tourism professionals, on sustainable tourism. Certification programs including SmartVoyager Certification for tour boats in Ecuador.

RARE Center for Tropical Conservation
http://www.rareconservation.org
Linking biodiversity conservation and ecotourism.

Tour Operators Initiative
http://www.toinitiative.org/
A group of tour operators from different parts of the world have joined forces to create the Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development.

Tourism Concern
http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/
Membership organisation campaigning for ethical and fairly traded tourism.

UNEP Sustainable Tourism
http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/
United Nations website on sustainable tourism.

World Tourism Organization Sustainable Development Section
http://www.world-tourism.org/frameset/frame_sustainable.html
News, events, articles, task forces.

Database(s)

Benchmark Hotel
http://www.benchmarkhotel.com
Online benchmark tool for hotels to track and compare their environmental performance.

Center For Sustainable Tourism
http://leeds.colorado.edu/tourism/
Part of the Leeds School of Business at U. Colorado/Boulder. Researches and trains students in sustainable tourism. Check out the Ecotourism Databank.

Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program
http://www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/EN/home.shtml
Certification for tour operators in Costa Rica. Find sustainable hotels in Costa Rica.

Ecolodges: Exploring Opportunities for Sustainable Business
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/home.nsf/content/ecolodges

Florida Green Lodging Locator
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/greenlodging/default.htm
Database of green accommodations in Florida.

Forging Links Between Protected Areas & the Tourism Sector
http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/documents/forging%20links/forging%20links%20final.pdf
Report from the United Nations Environment Program - 2005.

Green Globe
http://www.greenglobe21.com/
One of seven world-wide sustainable tourism certification bodies.

Green Seal: Greening the Lodging Industry
http://www.greenseal.org/programs/lodging.cfm
Comprehensive purchasing and operations guide for the industry, "Greening Your Property." Certification program to help travelers, meeting planners, and government and corporate travel buyers identify environmentally responsible lodging properties.

GreenStop.net
http://www.greenstop.net
Directory of hotels, conference venues, holiday and travel companies which are making a genuine effort to work in an environmentally responsible manner.

HAC Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program (Canada)
http://www.terrachoice.ca/hotelwebsite/indexcanada.htm
Graduated rating system designed to identify hotels committed to improving their bottom line fiscal and environmental performance. The program was established by TerraChoice Environmental Services, to recognize environmental achievements through a reward of 1 to 5 Green Leafs; 1 for a minimum of committing to a set of environmental principles and 2 through 5 for results in applying those principles.

Hospitable Climates
http://www.hospitableclimates.org.uk
A program of the Hotel & Catering International Management Association offers UK hotels targeted advice about energy-saving techniques and technologies.

Integrating Sustainability into Business
http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/library/integrating%20sustainability%20into%20business.htm
Manual - based on Tour Operators Initiative member practices, published by UNEP.

International Network for the Sustainable Development of Coastal Tourism Destinations
http://www.omt.uned.es/
To facilitate transfer of knowledge on coastal tourism, this website has a resource guide, a best practice database and members directory.

National Ski Areas Association
http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/environment/
Online database of sustainability initiatives at ski resorts. Dubbed the "Green Room", it is part of Sustainable Slopes, a set of principles endorsed by 75% of the US snow resort industry. The database showcases innovative actions resorts are taking in 21 topics, from water quality to wildlife habitat.

Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP)
http://www.ecotourism.org.au/neap.asp
Certification for tour operators and naturalist guides in Australia.

ResponsibleTravel.com
http://www.responsibletravel.com
Marketplace for eco-travel trips around the world that benefit local communities and conservation of habitats.

Visit
http://www.yourvisit.info
Database of environmentally certified hotels in Europe.