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In an effort to find lasting solutions to the global freshwater resource crisis, the Omega Institute announced today that it will hold The Water of Life conference October 24-26, 2008, on its Rhinebeck campus in New York. Leading environmental speakers such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Maude Barlow, John Todd, and many others will discuss the global water crisis and what can be done to protect this vital and irreplaceable resource.“We are living in a time when the lack of fresh, clean water is not just a problem for the developing world, but a problem we all face throughout the globe,” said Skip Backus, executive director at Omega Institute. “With UN experts warning of this profound crisis, Omega Institute is seeking to better understand how we’ve reached this predicament, and ultimately what can be done about it.”

TOURpact.GC, a corporate social responsibility framework for businesses, was welcomed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as a leadership initiative aligning principles of the Global Compact and UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

A grassroots project involving Kenyan artists and musicians and popular with a growing number of ethical travelers, the main thrust of the project is concerned with putting a positive vibe back into destination via Kenyan art and music.

Element is Starwood’s newest hotel concept and the first hotel brand in the country to mandate all hotels pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Owned and developed by Condor Hospitality, this new-build hotel will give visitors to Palmdale an opportunity to experience a new kind of hotel where they can stay connected, feel alive and thrive while they are traveling.

The Philadelphia Airport Marriott hotel has been Green Certified by Green Seal, an organization recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, announced today by Ms. Sandy LeBlanc, General Manager. This Marriott hotel near the Philly airport is the only property in Philadelphia to have this green certification.

The new Element hotel is scheduled to open in 2011 at the prestigious Capital Centre development in Abu Dhabi - a business and residential micro-city including a state-of-the art exhibition centre, a 2.4km marina development, and a gravity defying, iconic feature tower known as Capital Gate.

NaturCert is the global independent organization which has developed the NaturCert Certification Program for the environment and society. Today, NaturCert announces its free service, called Preliminary Diagnosis, which is the first of the two steps of the NaturCert Certification Program.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the leading business travel industry association, has released details of its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the NBTA International Convention & Exposition, the largest

The average three-day meeting at a Marriott hotel attended by 1,000 people produces more than 12 tons of trash, uses 200,000 kilowatts of power and consumes 100,000 gallons of water. Beginning this summer, Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts will introduce a series of meeting products that are eco-friendly and will help guests and meeting planners reduce their environmental impact.

Leading online travel insurance provider, WorldNomads.com, together with the Nat Geo Adventure, is calling for entrants into its 2008 Documentary Scholarship. The winner will go ‘on assignment’ in Rajasthan, India with experienced documentary producer Trent O’Donnell to create a video documentary about a World Expeditions community project trek.

With tourists and business travelers feeling the pinch of higher gas prices, seeing the city of Los Angeles is a snap while staying at the Renaissance

In a thunder of footsteps, fitness enthusiasts, charity supporters and members of the public will be returning to Banyan Tree

Sustainable tourism projects and measures whose planning and realization ensure the involvement of the different interests and requirements of the local people through participation can be entered for three German-based contests.

Dubai is luring holidaymakers with the world's most lavish hotels. But, in the second extract from his book about the real cost of tourism, Leo Hickman looks at the plight of the workers building a dream destination

The International Seminar on Sustainable Tourism have released its official “Declaration of Fortaleza”.The document, sponsored and endorsed by 19 Brazilian States as well as 13 countries across the Americas and Europe (U.S. included), was complied according to results of the II International Seminar on Sustainable Tourism.

Founder and President of the US-based, International Institute for Peace through

World leaders in adventure travel, G.A.P Adventures, has announced the purchase of a new ship, the M/S Expedition, and the relaunch of its polar expedition program, commencing on January 4, 2009.

Recognizing that the status of the environment has become a top business and public policy priority; with major implications for travel, the Travel Industry Association and American Express announced today they have joined forces in the name of travel sustainability. The two organizations are working together to develop the Travel Sustainability Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to make crucial information available and to guide the travel industry in its response to assuring sustainability in