estc2011

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011)
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Discussions on Gullah Heritage at the ESTC 2011
One of the most important aspects of the ESTC 2011 - being hosted in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA - was learning about the local Gullah communities and their traditions, history, present-day experiences, challenges and opportunities. The ESTC 2011 program included:
 * Opening Plenary Session that featured a presentation on **Mitchellville Preservation Project**, and a presentation by, and Q&A with, Dr. Emory Shaw Campbell, one of the nation's foremost experts on Gullah culture and heritage. Dr. Campbell is founder of Gullah Heritage Consulting Services and Gullah Heritage Tours.
 * Field session led by Dr. Campbell highlighting Gullah communities and cultural heritage on Hilton Head Island. The tour included a visit to Gullah Museum Hilton Head Island, the first community-owned and operated museum on the island (currently in the process of restoring traditional Gullah houses). Museum Founder and Director Louise Miller Cohen is a Gullah Storyteller who donated her own land in order to preserve and share Gullah culture, as well as to tell the stories of Gullah people from their own perspectives.

More About Gullah Culture
Gllah is the West African traditions, customs, beliefs, art forms and family life that have been retained among African Americans in the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands. The culture has survived centuries of slavery and more than a century of free lifestyle. Modern resort development began influencing the culture in the 1950’s. (Source: Gullah Heritage Consulting Services)

Gullah Language
Gullah (also called Sea Island Creole English and Geechee) is a creole language spoken by the Gullah people (also called "Geechees" within the community), an African American population living on the Sea Islands and the coastal region of the U.S. states of North Carolina,South Carolina, Georgia and northeast Florida. Gullah is based on English, with strong influences from West and Central African languages such as Mandinka, Wolof, Bambara, Fula, Mende,Vai, Akan, Ewe, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Kongo, Umbundu and Kimbundu.

media type="youtube" key="Css2m7Sof4U" height="315" width="420" [|Gullah Children's Story as told by Louise Miller Cohen] (video by GreenloonsLLC )

Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Designated by Congress in 2006, the [|Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor] extends from Wilmington, N.C. in the north to Jacksonville, Fl. in the south. It is home to one of America's most unique cultures, a tradition first shaped by captive Africans brought to the southern United States from West Africa and continued in later generations by their descendants. Emory S. Campbell of Hilton Head, South Carolina has been elected Chairperson of the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission during its second organizational meeting since inception. Campbell is president of Gullah Heritage Services of Hilton Head and executive director emeritus of Penn Center on St. Helena Island. (Source: National Park Service )

About the Conference
The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) is a unique annual tourism industry conference providing practical solutions and innovative ideas to help green the tourism industry. This year’s ESTC is being held from September 19-21, 2011, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, and will feature eye-opening presentations and discussions to help tourism professionals gain necessary tools to effectively implement sustainability practices. The ESTC 2011 is hosted by Hilton Head Island - Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Convention Bureau. Known as a popular family-friendly holiday destination, Hilton Head Island is home to one of the first environmentally-sensitive planned communities in the country.

Originally conceived in the 1950s as a resort destination by developer Charles E. Fraser, Hilton Head Island’s first resort, Sea Pines, is a 5,000+-acre gated community where the natural landscape and wildlife habitats unique to the South Carolina Lowcountry are carefully preserved and intertwined within the resort framework. Hilton Head Island has become the first community in South Carolina to join the Audubon International’s Sustainable Communities Program. This comprehensive, multi-year certification process is designed to assist the combination of the Town’s overall environmental protection efforts with its planning and economic-growth challenges for the future. Learn more about Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

ESTC Organizers
The ESTC is organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), a non-profit association committed to promoting responsible tourism practices that benefit conservation and communities. TIES works with a group of industry leaders who contribute to the development of the ESTC program.

Learn more about the ESTC advisory committee.

Program (PDF) http://www.ecotourismconference.org/sites/ecotourismconference.org/files/documents/ESTC2011-Program-Web.pdf

Social Media

 * ESTC on Twitter (@ESTC_Tourism)
 * Twitter hashtag for ESTC 2011 (#ESTC2011)
 * ESTC group on Facebook
 * ESTC group on LinkedIn
 * ESTC group on Flickr

Headlines
[|Latest example of greenwashing found on Hilton Head Island]

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