RIESTER

Kate Nolan, The Arizona Republic

SCOTTSDALE – An expert on sustainable tourism told members of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Tuesday that a vast majority of tourists want to ensure that their visits not damage local environments.

The speaker was Darryl Young, California’s former director of conservation and an executive with Riester, a communications firm that works with the convention and visitor’s bureau. Young was once a legislative aide for California State Sen. Tom Hayden, a legendary ’60s Democratic activist.

Here he was Tuesday educating Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross and Fountain Hills Mayor Wally Nichols and more than 70-80 members of the Northeast Valley’s tourism industry about the imperatives of increasingly green-conscious tourists. A whopping 71 percent, he said, want to ensure they tred lightly while traveling.

The talk, part of the bureau’s quarterly meeting, kicked off efforts to recruit a sustainable tourism task force among its members. “Other major cities such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco have already launched steps toward more eco-friendly tourism. Efforts here are in their infancy,” Young said. He provided a broad definition of “sustainable tourism” that arched from repeat business to eco-friendly business practices to providing actual green experiences, including extreme tourism for rock-climbers and trekkers who want to immerse themselves in the Sonoran Desert.

Young sees opportunities for Scottsdale to lead the green tourism movement by making a stronger emotional tie to tourists and increasing their length of stay, which currently averages out to 2.7 nights in a hotel. While Scottsdale is not identified widely as a “green” destination, Young said, it can rightfully lay claim to the label because it is the site of Taliesin West, home of Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the inventor of green building.

The audience at the Chaparral Suites Conference Center in Scottsdale appeared to be receptive to the idea, with nearly a dozen signed up for the green task force by meeting’s end. John Little, executive director of Scottsdale’s Downtown Group, asked how Scottsdale could differentiate itself from other cities that are seeking a similar greening of their images. “You have the desert,” Young said. “Brown, or tan, is the new green. The new green may also be red rocks.”

Janice Wight, of Energy One, a water treatment company, asked why the Valley lagged behind in development of solar energy, compared to other sunny areas, such as Australia. Young predicted that recent scientific advancements would spur solar energy here pointing to inherent green tourism advantages.

Peter Chu, general manager of Resort Suites Scottsdale, was enthusiastic about the green approach, which has already guided renovations his hotel is currently undergoing. “Our program is in place for water conservation, low-energy use, and environmentally-friendly cleaning chemicals,” Chu said. The resort is also implementing an ecology education program for kids.

 The next few steps for Scottsdale’s green tourism movement, according to Young, will be for the tourism bureau to create a sustainability plan, followed by workshops and a “starter kit” for interested businesses. An October event is planned.