RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
BEING SUSTAINABLE BEFORE IT WAS COOL
BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND, UNITED STATES
Photo: Ross Draper / Block Island Tourism Council
Your visit to a destination influences much more than just the trails you walk. Think about how your presence affects local water supply, medical services and waste management. Block Island, Rhode Island, became popular long ago and started protecting the land in the 1970s.
What's
changing
Overtourism and its negative environmental impacts are well-known challenges for many destinations. Locations with extensive experience in managing these issues and implementing sustainability plans can provide invaluable insights on how to establish enduring sustainable tourism practices for other areas now facing these challenges.
What's already
possible
Off the coast of the state of Rhode Island, Block Island covers 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) and has 900 residents. Visitors flock there in volumes, limited only by how many seats are on the ferry making the 55-minute crossing from the mainland. The peak summer season sees up to 20,000 visitors a day. Since 1971, conservation efforts ensure that Block Island’s nature remains wild. The Block Island Tourism Council changed from promoting the destination to managing it, working to lessen negative effects from so many tourists.
Seizing
the opportunity
Block Island pursues long-term sustainability in several ways. As more land is preserved and more visitors arrive, the island relies on education to keep natural areas from being trampled. The “How to Love Block Island” initiative teaches visitors how to reduce their impact. The campaign is promoted online, on solar trash cans and in coloring books distributed at restaurants. One quarter of Block Island’s tourism budget pays for local services and initiatives working on sustainability, including ConserFest, a music festival for eco-awareness on the island. Funds also support the medical center, which gets crowded during peak summer months.
Standout
tactic
Every year, a summer-long scavenger hunt called the “Glass Float Project” guides visitors away from crowded spots. The hunt, started in 2011 by local artist Eben Horton, invites visitors to look for hidden glass floats in less ecologically sensitive areas. Finders are keepers. When people find floats and register them with the Block Island Tourism Council, they can keep them (limited to one per year). If they find more, they are asked to hide them again for other visitors. More than 11,000 people have been active in float hunts since the project began.
How
it helps
Block Island Tourism’s efforts to educate, disperse visitors and fund crucial community services has enabled stewardship to remain active for almost 20 years. The island now has 50% of the land protected, and tourism works closely with the island’s three conservation organizations, one of which is funded by a 3% fee on property purchases.
Diving
deeper
How can destinations like Block Island measure the impact of tourism on the environment to ensure that campaigns to shift visitor behavior are working and making a positive difference over time?
Increasing
impact
Visitors usually arrive on Block Island by ferry. Sailing for almost an hour, they could spend some of that time learning about responsible travel through cooperative programs with ferry operators.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
