Sustainable Tourism & Hospitality
The Global Environmental Sustainability Action Coalition invites you to attend the 15th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium on Thursday, April 14, 2022. This event will be held at the New Britain Museum of American Art and is attended by student, faculty, members of the general public, as well as researchers and practitioners.
"Sustainability in tourism and hospitality continues to be an ongoing objective, which is actively being demanded not only by guests and customers, but also by business owners. Benefits of sustainable activities not only benefit the environment, but in many cases can also present a more profitable option – a win-win scenario. Therefore, it is imperative that those in tourism and hospitality remain current in their information and awareness about sustainability challenges facing their industries so they can develop strategies and improve operating systems in order to mitigate and adapt these challenges to appease all actors involved, but more importantly manage the limited resources available on our planet. The information being shared at the upcoming ‘15th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium will help attendees develop strategies for a sustainable future.”
- Quote by Dr. Charles Button and Dr. Jeffery Kreeger
Admission to the museum and event attendance are FREE for students and Central faculty. Members of the public are required to purchase a ticket to the museum to attend. A link for ticket sales will be available upon completion of event registration.
The symposium planning committee for 2022 is Dr. Jeffery Kreeger, Central Director of Tourism & Hospitality, Dr. Charles Button, GESAC Founder & Chair, Central Professor, Geography and Dr. Grace Kim, Central Assistant Professor, Tourism & Hospitality. Questions can be directed to jkreeger@ccsu.edu.
Location
The 2022 Symposium will take place at the New Britain Museum of American Art in the Stanley Works Center.
Click here for directions to the New Britain Museum of American Art.
Schedule of Events
A detailed schedule of events can be found here.
| 12:30 PM | Registration and Welcoming Address Charles E. Button, Ph.D., GESAC Founder; Chair & Professor, Geography & Sustainability, Central Connecticut State University |
| 12:45 PM | Opening Address Dr. Robert S. Wolff, Dean, Carol A. Ammon College of Libera Arts & Social Sciences |
| 1:00 PM | Session A Kiva Couchon, Director of Industry Affairs, Arizona Office of Tourism |
| 2:00 PM | Session B Rose Forrest, CEC, Sodexo Sustainability Coordinator MA/RI Explore student eating habits and the shift to plant-based eating as rolled out to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as the proposed plans for Connecticut. Additionally, Ms. Forrest will discuss some of the programming happening on campuses around sustainability & food insecurity. |
| 3:00 PM | Session C Jay Mitchell, MBA, Regional Director of Operations, Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC The session focuses on sustainable practices in the hotel and lodging industry. Examples of the newest sustainable trends will be explored as well as future directions in sustainability for the hotel industry. |
| 4:00 PM | Session D Melody Zielke, Senior in Tourism & Hospitality Studies (THS) and President of THS Club, Central This session will focus on sustainable methods used in events planning. Wasteful practices will be described as well as sustainable measures that can be taken that are not only less wasteful, but also more profitable for planning companies. |
| 5:00 PM | Poster Session & Social Mixer |
Sustainability Fair Exhibitors
If your organization, government agency, or business wishes to have an exhibit, email Dr. Charles Button at buttonche@ccsu.edu.
A full list of exhibitors can be found here.
Registration is free, but advanced registration is requested and appreciated.
Click here for directions to the New Britain Museum of American Art.