The document discusses the work of CoaST (Cornwall Sustainable Tourism) in promoting sustainable tourism practices. Some key points: - CoaST has over 900 member businesses in their sustainable practice network across Cornwall and the UK. - They have trained 360 people in a sustainable tourism qualification and have two dozen sustainability ambassadors. - CoaST member businesses are taking innovative steps to operate sustainably and engage visitors, such as single-handedly addressing issues in the fish and chip industry and designing recycling bays. - The organization aims to further support members by improving communications training and technical understanding of climate change and resource depletion issues. - CoaST believes its member businesses can be "

1. A Conversation with Jonathan Porrit Welcome! 14 July 2008 Blue Bar, Cornwall

2. Today – a conversation to look at what we’re doing; what we want to do; and how we can take a tiny minority of extra-ordinary businesses and make an exponential impact on the majority….

3. What we – as CoaST, and our membership, are about: Optimum rather than maximum; better rather than bigger. One planet tourism; triple bottom line tourism. It’s not about the “G” word - resilience is the key issue here. So – in that case - just a brief reminder of where we are….

4. 360 people qualified in the BTEC in Sustainable Tourism (and the next students going through now…) we have TWO dozen Sustainable Tourism Ambassadors… we have over 80 already GTBS accredited businesses and 10 DBA… we have almost 50 going for accreditation … and we have almost 900 members of a sustainable practice cross sector network….in Cornwall …

5. across the south west …

6. … and now it’s spreading right across the UK.

9. (don’t you love it when the little guys think way above their station.)

10. … and these are no ordinary businesses……

11. … writing your own articles…

12. Sustainable Tourism Survey Source: Helsbury Park February 2008 … running your own visitor surveys…

13. Sustainable Tourism Survey Source: Helsbury Park February 2008 … single handedly taking on the fish and chip industry…

14. … designing your own fantastic recycling bays…

15. … creating a whole new way of guiding our visitors to a low impact holiday…just because they think it’s something that needs to be done …

16. .. using your websites to explain what you’re doing…

17. .. and actually TALKing to your visitors…

18. .. (and there’s a lot to be said for a captive audience…

19. .. (and I do mean captive …)

20. … helping our visitors work with us…

21. … real engagement; … real quality; … real impact …

22. … award-winning business practices…

23. … cutting edge engagement, across all holiday types …

24. .. and … ... good practice …

26. … because why wouldn’t you?…

30. Nothing New about Denial People once believed the Earth was flat & resented evidence to the contrary

31. So they need all the support they can get. They’re planning to change the world, after all. They’re the Game Changers.

32. So – we at CoaST are passionate about this. (and bearing in mind no-one has all the answers, but maybe we all have a bit of them…and CoaST members are a resilient, bloody-minded and solution-figuring-out lot…) we want to: develop our support via the network – by making it wider, and offering more to those in it by training ourselves and ambassadors to be Utterly Excellent Communicators – investing in their technical understnainf of the science and liegistyral implcation s of cliamte change and resource dfepletion; communication and engagement.

33. www.coastvisitors.co.uk

34. Kevin Conrad, Bali: “ I would ask the United States, we ask for your leadership ,” he said. “ But if for some reason you’re not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us. Please get out of the way .”

35. That’s what we want to see; that’s what we will continue to support. You are the Game Changers. So make the most of that Collective CoaST Clout, and aim high…