Introducing KPB's Hospitality Eco-Partnership
A New Ecotourism Opportunity for Pinellas County Hotels
In Pinellas County, tourism is essential to our economy. According to Visit St. Pete Clearwater, in 2017 Pinellas County had more than 6.5 million overnight visitors, and tourism contributes $10.3 billion to our annual economy. It’s no secret that Pinellas County is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. If we want those beaches to stay beautiful, we need to take care of them.
Keep Pinellas Beautiful’s Hospitality Eco-Partnership
As an organization, Keep Pinellas Beautiful (KPB) has the resources to mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers across the county each year to clean up litter, remove invasive vegetation, plant native gardens, and learn at education and outreach events. Now we want to share our knowledge with the hotel industry so we can work together to engage tourists in more sustainable behaviors. Our program partner, Ocean Allies, has information on running a sustainable business and offers an ocean-friendly certification.
We have developed our new Hospitality Eco-Partnership program to engage hotels and guests in environmental protection, conservation, and volunteering. During this inaugural year, Keep Pinellas Beautiful is offering benefits of the program to participating hotels for free.
The program includes:
Environmental Education – Staff education and training on stormwater debris and coastal environments
Adopt-Your-Coast – KPB provides the training and supplies for our hospitality partners to host four (or more) cleanups a year at a nearby stretch of coastline
Group and Special Event Cleanups – KPB provides additional supplies, support, and presentations for large group and special event cleanups (e.g. corporate groups, weddings, conferences, etc.)
Eco-Experience Tours – During 2021 we will offer four “net-zero” educational tours of local ecosystems and stormwater movement provided by KPB, made available to hospitality partners
Cigarette Litter Prevention Program – Place KPB cigarette receptacles at highly trafficked areas of your property, and receive sample pocket ashtrays for guests
Social Media Promotion – We offer assistance with electronic event promotion, and will celebrate your successes (like cleanup events) on our social media pages.
Sustainability – Opportunities to reduce plastic, plus eco-friendly sample products (e.g. pocket ashtrays and reusable straws)
Learn More About Our New Eco-Partnership
Program funding comes from a Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council grant. In February, Visit St. Pete Clearwater partnered with KPB and Ocean Allies to host an informational webinar, which you can view here.
If you would like to learn more about how to become an Eco-Partner or get additional information on the program, please email KPB’s Program Specialist at programs@kpbcares.org. We look forward to hearing from you!