PAST THINK TANK: THINK TANK XVI

About

We cordially invite you to the BEST EN Think Tank XVI entitled “Corporate Responsibility in Tourism - Standards, Practices and Policies”, Hosted by the ZENAT Centre for Sustainable Tourism, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development , Berlin-Eberswalde.

The BEST Education Network is a long established international consortium of educators committed to furthering the development and dissemination of knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism. It is open to all students, academics and professionals who are interested in furthering education and research for sustainable tourism.

At a BEST EN Think Tank sustainable tourism topics are addressed in a collaborative and stimulating environment. A BESTEN Think Tank is about more than presenting papers: in workshop sessions participants co-produce knowledge through brainstorming and discussions to create research and educational materials for use in their research and teaching. Examples of co-produced knowledge from previous Think Tanks can be found in the knowledge section of this website.

Important Dates:

Review process begins: December 1, 2015

Abstract and Paper submission deadline: Closed

Final versions of accepted abstracts and papers due: June13, 2016

A word on sustainable travel and the 2016 Think Tank

The BEST Education Network and the University of Eberswalde will not just talk about responsibility, but practice it. We aspire to make the upcoming Think Tank a showcase for sustainable conference tourism!

Let’s begin with the host: Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development is unique in its focus and considered one of Germany’s “greenest” universities. It has an environmental management team, is EMAS-certified and climate-neutral.

We have also taken great care to select an appropriate accommodation that is committed to CSR. The Steigenberger Hotel “Am Kanzleramt” is located right next to Berlin Central Station. It is a member of Berlin Green Meetings and has been certified by the German Society for Sustainable Construction. The hotel director will tell us more on the eve of the Think Tank. From Berlin Central it is a mere half hour by train to Eberswalde.

Furthermore, a team of Eberswalde Master students is working to make the Think Tank itself as sustainable as possible. This will cover transportation, conference materials & technology, catering and field trips. The Think Tank will be carbon-neutral. More information on this will follow soon.

The City of Berlin, even though it could make a better job of marketing itself as a sustainable destination, is in fact a showcase for sustainable development in many ways. Berlin has an excellent public transport system, an extensive network of green spaces and hosts many alternative projects of sustainable living. Furthermore, it is regarded as one of the most culturally creative cities in Europe. Young artists from all over the world flock to Berlin, thus making it a vibrant cosmopolitan place that is based on diversity and tolerance. We will offer post-conference tours to those who would like to learn more about this exciting city.

The stakeholder forum for this year's Think Tank will take place in the Uckermark.  The Uckermark, a good hour’s drive from Berlin, is voted Germany’s most sustainable destination. Sixty per cent of the natural area is protected. Over 500 lakes, hills, forests and fields form the genuine countryside - perfect for nature-based activities like cycling, hiking and paddling.

Since 2011, the Uckermark has been developing as a sustainable tourism destination. The destination marketing organization has already successfully established a network of climate-friendly partners promotes regional products in tourism marketing. Although many improvements have been achieved, sustainable transportation remains one of the greatest challenges in such a rural and spacious area.

Last, but not least, we encourage Think Tank participants to minimise their own carbon footprint when travelling to and from the conference. Here is what you can do:

• Use public transport whenever possible. Germany has an efficient high-speed train system which partially runs on green electricity. For example, if you take the train from Frankfurt to Berlin (rather than flying), it would literally take you to the doorstep of your hotel.

• If you fly – and we are, of course, aware that this will be inevitable for most international participants – make sure that you fly as directly as possible.

• If you can choose between different airlines, consult the atmosfair Airline Index (www.atmosfair.de) which will tell you which airlines are more carbon-efficient than others.

• Compensate your flight emissions by using a high-quality carbon off setter. Again, we recommend atmosfair, which has consistently received top rankings, but you may consider others as well.

We are looking forward to seeing you in the summer in Berlin and Eberswalde!

Wolfgang Strasdas, Michelle Geigenmüller & the Sustainable Tourism Management Master students

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