The annual Public Relations Society of America Travel & Tourism Conference is always a rousing opportunity to network with leading travel communicators from across the country, and learn from thought-provoking and industry-leading speakers.

This year’s theme, Go For Green!, really hit home, concentrating on how destinations can be environmentally friendly, while attracting tourists who are seeking to minimize their carbon footprint. 

Keynote speaker, Andy Dumaine, founder of shrinkingfootprint.com, kicked off the conference with an introduction of impending doom -- “the world is going to end!” Or at least, with high energy prices and airline reductions, travel as we know it will cease … and he challenged PR professionals to help make a difference.

You may well ask, what can I actually do? I can’t tell a mayor that her city needs to build a LEED-certified convention center, nor can I take a shovel and start building bike paths downtown. But that doesn’t mean we throw in the towel.

Here are just a few thoughts on how travel communicators can help save the planet:

Set an example at “home”. As a leader in destination marketing, recycle as much as possible in your office -- use recycled paper in copies and printers, reuse the reverse side of discarded pages for draft printouts when necessary, and explore ways to mitigate the effect of the business travel through carbon offset programs.

Launch a green team. Have a team of three to five people who meet once a month to discuss how to make your community more environmentally friendly. Look outside your office and include partners, and stakeholders. Going green shouldn’t be a one-person task, and everyone will benefit from the big ideas you design!

Highlight the “green” aspects of your destination, hotel or attraction. A hotel going green won’t become a feature news story anymore. But that doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t interested! Design a web page that profiles your effort to “go green.” Consider listing green packages, and showcasing what your organization is doing to become environmentally friendly.

Think Electronic. These days journalists and reporters prefer to receive press materials via email, replete with web links. And yet, how much money do destinations spend on printing glossy press packets that are often obsolete within months? Design media information for the web, and make the materials available online. Think of the trees (and money!) saved!

Be an advocate. As a destination representative, advocate for more parks, more bikeways, more recycling, and less waste.

Let us know what you’re doing in your community – and your office – to “Go Green” we’ll help you spread the word!

What’s the value of a promise?  In some economic development circles it’s good for $250 million.

A trend around the country is Promise programs, scholarship funds that front the college tuition bill for every student in a community.  Kalamazoo kicked this off in 2005 when a masked group of donors pooled their funds to send students to Michigan colleges.  Since then, other communities like El Dorado, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Denver, Colorado and Newton, Iowa are following suit. 

Last week 80 communities gathered in Kalamazoo for PromiseNet, a conference for existing and prospective Promise communities to share best practices.  Promise programs have been cited as leading to economic development turnaround, attracting developers and increasing college enrollment.  El Dorado notes that home sales are up 10% since their program began in ’07, bucking state-wide and national trends.

It’s no question that these promises are incredible gifts.  Still, it’s worth remembering that a Promise is a tool for economic development, not a silver bullet.  I recently traveled with Ron Kitchens, CEO of Kalamazoo’s Southwest Michigan First, and Ron’s quick to point out to other Promise communities, “You bought a scholarship program, not a factory.” 

But Promise communities want their investment to move the meter, and rightly so.  What’s your opinion?  How will Promise programs impact communities?  Are you living in a Promise community and seeing results?  What’s working and what’s not working.  And just what do you think the legacy of these programs will be?