Environmentalists, executives of hotel and restaurant groups, architects, designers and politicians gather around the II Conference on Communication and Advice on Sustainability to discuss the adaptation of tourism to economic models that are more committed to the fight against climate change
"The construction of a world more committed to its environment is irreversible; There is no turning back. If we don't protect our land, if we don't work to leave it in the best possible conditions for future generations, who will?" The mayor of Santa Susanna, Joan Campolier, opened with this reflection the II Conference on Communication and Advice on Sustainability, which dealt with 'Circular Change: a journey between the circular economy and climate change to strengthen tourism competitiveness'. Specialists in business administration and management, environmentalists, hotel and restaurant managers, designers and the mayor of Vila-seca, Pere Segura, dedicated the morning of Thursday 3 April to analysing the possibilities offered by the circular economy applied to tourism; A tool – it was defined in this way – that seeks to break with the traditional clichés of extracting, manufacturing and discarding to embrace a system in which resources are kept in use as much as possible.
The conference opened with a face-to-face meeting between Maria Armiñana, coordinator of the Chair of Circular Economy at TecnoCampus-UPF, in Mataró, and Gisela Torrents, an environmentalist specialising in the climate crisis, international climate policy and a just ecological transition on "The role of the circular economy in the climate crisis". They agreed on the need to rethink and redesign the business model in order to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint and, therefore, the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. One of the elements that most affects the sector, according to the speakers, is transport, especially the plane.
This was followed by three thematic discussion tables, which addressed the fundamental axes of the circular economy – sustainable design, efficient waste management and the regeneration of natural systems – through practical cases, good business practices and public projects in the territory and other inspiring private initiatives:
With this second edition, Santa Susanna has strengthened its position as a living laboratory of tourism sustainability and has shown its leadership in the promotion of a conscious, efficient and regenerative tourism model.
The closing of the Conference was given by the Councilor for Sustainability, Sílvia Vives, who reaffirmed Santa Susanna's commitment to what she defined as the future. "We are on the side of those who believe that things can and should be done differently. We have to change the chip. It is a matter of health, respect for the environment and also of the economy". In his speech, Vives explained that Santa Susanna should not be an untouchable museum where nothing can be done. On the contrary, that it does not have to give up anything as long as it knows how to reconcile the economic and social well-being of its people and the preservation of the main source of wealth of Santa Susanna, which is tourism, "with rules of the game that involve preserving our immediate environment and using new tools that allow us not to damage natural resources".
The Conference left some paradoxes in the sector, such as the fact that 82% of tourists are in favour of adopting sustainable practices and models, but only 22% say that their behaviour has changed.
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