This Travel Magazine Wants to Save the World
Yesterday we woke up early to check out Conde Nast Traveler's World Savers Congress 2007 in New York. The confab gave the travel trade the chance to talk about environmental and corporate responsibility issues. It gave us the chance to enjoy a swanky breakfast at Gotham Hall.
CN Traveler's editor in chief, Klara Glowczewska, kicked things off, talking about green travel and social responsibility. (The pre-taped message from Bill Clinton was a nice touch.) What stood out was her question as to how the travel industry could talk about these things without pandering. The question was left open-ended as Former US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke then took the stage to talk about his anti-AIDS efforts.
Holbrooke made some good points about how AIDS in India, the Ukraine, Africa and even the United States can impact tourism. He was a great speaker. The next guy up, Bill Drayton, had a tough time following his act.
Marcia Gay Harden, who played Billie McCandless in Into the Wild, put some life back into the crowd while introducing the World Savers Awards: nods to companies that are saving the planet. John Paul Dejoria, CEO of Paul Mitchell, was also there and was a total blast from the past.
We never did end up hearing how the travel industry could go green without pandering. (The constant mentions of how selling "green" travel improves the bottom line didn't convince us that the industry has wholly altruistic motives.) And in a way, the whole event was sort of self-congratulatory. But when it comes to keeping the planet in good shape, perhaps we shouldn't be so cynical.
Related Stories:
· The Age of Virtuous Travel [Concierge.com]
· Green Travel coverage [Jaunted]
