ABOUT THE EVENT
15th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium: Sustainable Tourism & Hospitality
The New Britain Museum of American Art is hosting the 15th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium in partnership with Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on April 14th. This FREE event will be held in the Stanley Works Center and is attended by students, faculty, members of the general public, as well as researchers and practitioners.
Admission to the Museum and event attendance are FREE for students and CCSU 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.
You may choose to register for individual sessions or the full day.
NOTE: Attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottle. Disposable containers will not be available.
The symposium coordinator for 2022 is Dr. Jeffery Kreeger. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
Schedule of Events
The schedule will continue to be updated as events are finalized
12:30 PM - Registration Opens
12:45 PM - Welcome & Opening
Charles E. Button, Ph.D., GESAC Founder; Chair & Professor, Geography & Sustainability, Central Connecticut State University
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM - Session A: Sustainable Tourism
Kiva Couchon, Director of Industry Affairs, Arizona Office of Tourism
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM - Session B: Food & Beverage Sustainability
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 – 3:45 PM - Session C: Hotel Sustainability
Jay Mitchell, Regional Vice President Of Operations, Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC
This 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 – 4:45 PM - Session D: Event Planning Sustainability
Melody Zielke, Senior in Tourism & Hospitality Studies (THS) and President of THS Club, CCSU
This session will focus on sustainable methods used in event 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 - 6:30 PM - Research Poster Session and Social Mixer
Research Poster Session:
An interactive display of illustrated research posters on topics relating to sustainability, transportation, and the environment. This poster session is open to all; presenters include researchers, practitioners, and graduate and undergraduate students.
If you are interested in presenting a poster, please contact Dr. Charles Button at [email protected].
Social Mixer:
A social mixer designed to bring students and professionals together, including a cash bar, hors d'oeuvres, and the sweet jazz stylings of Brown Paper Sax.