Begin: TIES

BC Tourism and Hospitality Educators

From Commitment to Action on Climate Change Concerns

SecondaryCareer Prep.

Industry Training and Credentials

Steps to Success …

CertificatePrograms

DiplomaPrograms

DegreePrograms

GraduatePrograms

…the BC Tourism Learning System

4 Strategic Priorities1. Promoting BC as a tourism/hospitality

learning destination

2. Supporting the BC Tourism Learning System

3. Connecting industry to tourism/hospitality students and grads

4. Serving as a tourism information hub

LinkBC Tourism and Hospitality Network

• Environmental Ethics and Tourism • Concept of Sustainability and its Application to

Tourism• Impacts of Globalization on the Tourism Landscape.• Climate Change and Tourism• Environmental Management Systems• Environmental Technologies and Innovation

10 (or more) years of teaching Environmental Stewardship

A simple premise …

Global warming has accelerated along with international mobility over the past 40 years …

… if it takes a couple of minutes to show the challenges, some responses, and reasons to avoid global warming, lets not take 40 years to start taking action

Whistler, May 2008

1. Achieve common understanding on critical global climate change issues

affecting tourism/hospitality educators

3. Achieve common agreement amongst participating delegates on

collective actions

2. Generate commitment and desire amongst educators to take action on relevant issues

… Everything was about “launching”, “encouraging”, and “developing”;

nothing was about acting

Simpson, Jaccard, Rivers (2007 p.63) ‘Hot Air’

on the Canada Action 2000 plan for Climate Change

A Statement of Commitment amongst Tourism and Hospitality Educators

to take Action on Climate Change Concerns

Underlying Elements of the Statement

• That tourism and hospitality educators have a responsibility to address and take action on climate change concerns

• That sustainability, responsibility and climate change are integrally connected and require the collective attention from tourism and hospitality educators

• That tourism and hospitality educators will adapt where feasible and/or necessary to take action on relevant climate change concerns

In Curriculum and Teaching

• Commit to incorporating and/or enhancing education content on strategies and practices that promote more sustainable outcomes in tourism and hospitality operations

• Encourage student driven initiatives that promote greater awareness, remediation, and adaptation strategies related to climate change and sustainable tourism and hospitality practices

• Encourage critical thinking and decision making with respect to sustainable tourism and hospitality development

• Encourage and facilitate climate change and sustainable development research that addresses the implications and adaptation strategies needed to reduce the ecological footprint of the tourism and hospitality industries

In Operations of Education Facilities and Programming

• Reduce waste and encourage re-usable and recycled products

• Reduce carbon emissions in operations where practical and possible

• Become sustainable development demonstration models for industry partners

• Encourage senior administration to adopt proactive energy and material flow reduction strategies across educational facilities

As Advocates for Tourism, Hospitality, and Outdoor Recreation

• Participate in forums and dialogue addressing climate change concerns where possible and feasible

• Share progress in implementing initiatives about climate change with other education, industry and government partners

• Talk the language of climate change concerns with candor and honesty

• Ensure climate change concerns are integrated with the agenda of tourism and hospitality management and development where possible and at each and every opportunity

In Programming and Student Driven Initiatives …

Stewardship Activities

• Daily journaling of consumer and citizenship actions through a full semester to accurately record personal behavior and commit to reducing eco footprint and carbon footprint

• Interest-based negotiation with stakeholders representing ten different energy producers from Nuclear to Wind to agree on the most sustainable energy mix for the future of BC

Environmental Stewardship– Incorporated in all diploma programs

Ecotourism– Ecotourism role-modeling climate change practices

– Accreditation and certification of ecotourism

– Inter-organizational relations affecting ecotourism and climate change

– Resource management methodologies and practice

Policy and Planning– Aviation Policy and Climate Change

– Collaborative Planning Process – Climate Change

Royal Roads UniversitySchool of Tourism & Hotel ManagementGraduate Certificate in Sustainable Tourism

SFU Faculty of the Environment• School of Resource Management• Department of Geography• Environmental Sciences Program• Centre for Sustainable Community Development• Graduate Certificate Program in Development Studies

UNBC• UNBC has recently trademarked itself as Canada’s Green University, so

sustainability issues are important institution-wide

• the proportion of students taking environmental programs at UNBC is about 20 times the national average, first among all Canadian universities.

• 11 of the 13 Canada Research Chairs at UNBC conduct research in environmental fields

– Steven Déry is a Canada Research Chair in Northern Hydrometeorology: his research focuses on climate change

– Youmin Tang is Canada Research Chair in Climate Prediction and Predictability

UNBC• the Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Program at UNBC focuses on

recreation and tourism engagements in the natural environment• Concept of sustainability (ecological, social, economic) is a foundational

component of the curricula

• numerous required courses in ORTM include content on climate change

• ORTM 305 (Parks Planning & Management) - the impact of climate change on national and international conservation efforts

– Focus Topic: Changes in species distribution and populations from climate change and impacts on management, protection, and park borders

Initiatives toward Climate Change

Ms. Robin Reid, School of Tourism, TRU

Taking Action: Commitment to Take Action on Global Climate change at the Tourism Educators Conference in 2008 in Whistler B.C.

• Faculty in The School of Tourism at TRU support this commitment through:

– curriculum design, resource development & research– Student projects– Partnerships

Ms. Robin Reid, School of Tourism, TRU

Global Climate Change & Tourism/Hospitality Education Education

go-BEYOND– is a not-for-profit initiative with a mission to

engage and empower youth on campuses across Canada to make positive advances in lowering our carbon effects on this planet.

– One of the ways Go-Beyond is making a difference is through education.

Ms. Robin Reid, School of Tourism, TRU

BC Campus Climate Network

• Teach-in project Oct 27-Oct 31, 2008

• 82 instructors at TRU, 26 at UBC and 18 at UVIC are engaged in a teach-in project

• 10 other colleges and universities across Canada are also participating

The purpose is to work with faculty to establish curriculum that is engaging and creates regional climate change solutions.

www.go-beyond.ca

Ms. Robin Reid, School of Tourism, TRU

goBeyond Initiative

Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism Research

SFU's Centre for Tourism Policy and Research has initiated a research program examining mountain tourism product adaptions toclimate change forces, as well as ongoing work examining consumer responses to a variety of green house gas policy options.

Two of these have resulted in a 'best master's student paper awarded by the Travel and Tourism Research Association - Canada Chapter to Jen Reily, now a sessional instructor at Capilano University, a best academic article award by the International Travel and Tourism Association to Drs. Joe Kelly, Wolfgang Haider, and Peter Williams.

Examining the relationship between awarenessand response for tourist consumer choices with

regard to climate change concerns

Survey analysis on-going with Industry partners

Operations and Advocacy …

RRU - Board Goals

• Reduce net GHG emissions by 50 per cent by 2020 from 2007 levels

• Be climate neutral by 2010• Go “off-grid” by 2018 (self sufficient in energy,

waste, water)• Learn from our experiences to identify best

practices and be a leader in sustainability

In April 2008 The TRU Environmental Advisory Committee was established to help reach the Strategic goal of…

“Making TRU the University of Choice for Environmental Sustainability”

In support of this strategic goal climate change ispriority aligned closely with the Government of British Columbia’s climate action plan.

Ms. Robin Reid, School of Tourism, TRU

What’s Next

• Shifting from Awareness to Response• Keeping pace with, and supporting, student initiatives• Keeping current, facilitating consistent (and productive)

information and knowledge exchange• Measuring for benchmarking and communicating

progress and achievements• Exemplifying the intent• Enacting policy – 2010 carbon neutral goals• Team building to make a meaningful contribution

Thank you

Chris Bottril, Capilano UniversityRoy Jantzen, Capilano University

Robin Reid, TRUPeter Williams, SFUJohn Shultis, UNBC

Greig Gjerdalen, Capilano UniversityTerry Hood, LinkBC