Tourism and the Environment - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 390

Environmentally responsible tourism can be achieved through the combined efforts of private operators,
travel organizations, and individuals. PhotocourtesyofTheInnByTheSea,CapeElizabeth,Maine.

U.S. Travel Association

The U.S. Travel Association tries to protect the environment through sustainable travel by maintaining
the Web site www.TravelGreen.org that is a go-to source for information on sustainable travel. It is a
site to learn how environmental sustainability is good for business and how travel companies and
destinations are pursuing eco-friendly travel opportunities for their customers. The site lists sustainable
tourism organizations, case studies, best practices, certi cation programs, social responsibility pro-
grams, and news items for all sectors of the travel industry. The site was developed by U.S. Travel in
cooperation with American Express. Visit www.TravelGreen.org and discover a wealth of information.

BEST Education Network

BEST Education Network is an international consortium of educators committed to furthering the
development and dissemination of knowledge on sustainable tourism. The organization is dedicated
to developing innovative sustainable travel and tourism practices. The BEST Education Network emerged
from a initiative known as Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel, which was founded in 1998. The
primary objective of BEST was to develop and disseminate knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism. In
2003, BEST went through organizational changes and the group overseeing the educational and curriculum
aspects of the organization became independent and named itself the BEST Education Network.
The Network holds an annual three- to four-day Think Tank at various universities around the
world. Its 2011 Think Tank XI titled

was held at Temple University.
In addition to its annual Think Tank, BEST has developed sustainable tourism class modules as follows:
Sustainable Tourism Marketing Module; Sustainable Tourism Planning Module; Sustainable Opera-
tions Management Module; Sustainable Festivals, Meetings, and Event Management Module; and The
Bottom Line Reporting for Sustainable Development Module. These modules are available at
Goodfellow Publishers, www.goodfellowpublishers.com . The Network is chaired by Dr. Dagmar
Lund-Durlacher from MODUL University Vienna in Austria. MODUL University Vienna also houses
the BEST Education Network Secretariat. Visit its Web site: www.besteducationnetwork.org .

'' Learning for Sustainable Tourism ''