<< Return to AdventureTravelNews - July, 2005
Six STI Initiatives Deliver Holistic Sustainable Tourism Options for Operators, Travelers
Solutions are heating up in the sustainable travel arena. There are
many organizations (TIES, Green Globe 21, etc.) around the globe
offering compelling ecotourism, sustainable and responsible tourism
initiatives. AdventureTravelNews™ plans to present such special
initiatives to its readers on a monthly basis. We’re getting started in
July with a short list of meaningful projects spearheaded by Boulder,
Colorado-based Sustainable Travel International (STI). By offering travelers and travel providers with the information and
tools they need to mitigate their negative impacts and enhance their
positive impacts, STI is taking a holistic approach to addressing global
sustainable development within the travel and tourism industry.
- MyClimate carbon offsets. Through STI's MyClimate carbon offsets
program, travel companies can generate revenue while helping to
mitigate the carbon emissions that result from their clients' and
their employees' travel.
- Green Travel Market. The Green Travel Market provides comprehensive,
reliable, up-to-date information on sustainable tourism products that
are currently available in the global marketplace, so travel companies
can 'green' their supply chains.
- Eco-certification. STI's Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification
Program is a voluntary initiative that helps travel companies to measure
and manage their environmental, economic, and socio-cultural impacts.
(ATN's Editor's Note: STI is finalizing a licensing agreement with the largest
certification provider on the environmental front which will enable STI
to bring its certification program to market in first-class fashion.
The move will help to streamline the program and make it more user
friendly for the marketplace. STI found the process to be very
complicated and has elected to partner to make it easier. They’re
finalizing the agreement and plan to launch the certification
program by late August.)
- Education and Training. STI offers a myriad of education and
training programs for travel companies, ranging from executive education
programs focused on impact management to short seminars focused on
educating clients about responsible travel.
- Travel Philanthropy. STI promotes, publicizes and informs the
public about credible travel philanthropy programs in the global
marketplace, and we educate travel companies on how to create successful
travel philanthropy projects.
- Brighter Futures. Brighter Futures is based on trade not aid. STI and Brighter Futures work with local producers in economically disadvantaged tourism dependent communities, to gain fair prices for their goods. We then resell these goods to the tourism market.
More details on each of the STI initiatives outlined above are available at http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/documents/op.html.