By Dean A. Showers
Madison Magazine
Special To Channel 3000

In 2007, Madison will be polishing its green-colored glasses as the city hosts the second North American Conference on Ecotourism. The conference, launched in 2005, is the brainchild of a fast-growing segment of the tourism industry eager to offer travelers a breath of fresh and sustainable air.

Ecotourism, which is relatively new in the United States, promotes responsible travel to natural areas -- conserving the environment and improving the welfare of indigenous people, according to the International Ecotourism Society, a sponsor of the conference.

Sue Sabatke, director of convention services and events for the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), is one of the many green-rooted professionals touting ecotourism's potential. "People joke that the Madison area is so green, we don't even realize the things we do are environmentally friendly, meaning they're second nature to us now."

Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Jim Holperin also became aware of the need for traveler education and the adoption of more eco-friendly business practices by tourism operators. He formed a workgroup in 2004, working locally with the CVB, environmental groups, and tourism-related businesses in the greater Madison area. What materialized was Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary program that reviews, certifies and recognizes businesses that commit to reducing their environmental impact. Holperin then contracted with the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI) to develop a certification program.

In 2005, Sabatke and several other local business professionals attended the first Conference on Ecotourism in Bar Harbor, Maine. The hope was to learn more about the industry and to promote Wisconsin's ecotourism, which includes Madison's own Arbor House Inn on Monroe Street.

"We wanted to position Arbor House as the best hospitality in our market by providing an unparalleled combination of natural design, features, amenities and surroundings," says John Imes, who co-owns the B&B with his wife Cathie. He is also executive director of WEI, which sent a representative to the ecotourism conference.

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