While Greater Palm Springs is currently in the midst of what many call an economic and hospitality boom, the destination is also engaged in a variety of sustainability projects it hopes will preserve its unique offerings for generations to come.
Visit Greater Palm Springs sees tourism and hospitality as catalysts for economic development, and part of what draws groups to the destination is its abundant natural resources and local community, and so maintaining and conserving both of those is paramount to the destination’s success.
From eco-friendly hotels to local farms to youth engagement, here’s how Greater Palm Springs is committing to sustainability to preserve the destination’s future for decades to come.
Philosophy of Sustainability
To understand why sustainability is so important to the Greater Palm Springs region, the destination collaborated with PCMA and Fruition Co. to create the “Four Cs of Sustainability” model. The model highlights the fact that sustainability is multifaceted in Greater Palm Springs, and the destination wanted a definition of sustainability that went beyond the standard “green and eco.”
The four Cs are conservation, community, culture and commerce, and each play a role in how Greater Palm Springs executes sustainability initiatives in the region.
“Our approach was in response to data and feedback from our visitors, both group and leisure, that sustainability was a critical booking factor for them,” said Lauren Bruggemans, director of sustainability and community engagement for Visit Greater Palm Springs. “We know that meeting planner planners want to book destinations that align with their values and where their attendees feel safe.”
Bruggemans said one of the ways the destination contributes to sustainability initiatives is by spreading awareness about the groups already doing the work to keep Greater Palm Springs pristine. Bruggemans mentioned groups such as Friends of the Desert Mountains, an organization that has conserved 63,000 acres of land in the destination, as well as the Indigenous stewards of the land, the Cahuilla people.
“The best way [we] as a destination marketing organization can contribute to conservation and reservation is to uplift and amplify the good work of those organizations that are in our environment, that are preserving land, that are protecting land, that are providing visitor education.”
“We're storytellers,” she continued. “And we are responsible for the images and the stories that get visitors to come here. So when we have this strong ethos of sharing the community, that then shines a spotlight on them for them to be able to benefit from that visitation, to benefit from those dollars that come with having that spotlight shown on them.”
Other Sustainability Initiatives
Along with highlighting the work being done by local conservation organizations, Visit Greater Palm Springs also does a lot of work with local farms and the agriculture industry that sometimes make their way to visitors’ plates.
“When our hotels source from local farms, it’s the idea, yes, that the food is traveling a shorter distance to your plate. But the other piece of that is community. When you're buying from local farms, you're supporting your neighbor, you're supporting your friend. And that's the community piece that's really critical to us.”
Sustainability is more than just a trend for Visit Greater Palm Springs, it is multi-faceted, holistic and baked into nearly every aspect of what the destination offers to planners and attendees alike. Many of the hotel properties in Greater Palm Springs have begun sustainability initiatives, such as the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, which has implemented programs to reduce food waste and repurpose materials.
Another way the destination participates in sustainable initiatives is through its youth engagement projects. Visit Greater Palm Springs creates scholarships and works with school districts on programs that connect students to opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industries. The DMO worked with Caravanserai Project, a local non-profit, to provide underserved small business entrepreneurs with training, access to capital and an opportunity to widen their networks in the tourism and hospitality ecosystem.
These opportunities help to create engaged and connected industry leaders that will help shape the destination’s future, ensuring the work being done in Greater Palm Springs is continued.
“We want to lead the way and show the nation and the world that we care about the future of our planet, about the future of our youth, that we care about the humans in our community. And we want to be part of creating the tourism future our world needs,” Bruggemans said.
Connect
This article was created in collaboration with Visit Greater Palm Springs.
