As the local partner of Green Path Transfers (GPT), the first global environmentally-friendly transfer service, ecoShuttle offers affordable airport and intercity transfers aboard a comfortable and sleek fleet of all-biodiesel vehicles.

The ecoShuttle nine-passenger van heads into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Photo courtesy of ecoShuttle

Hatched over a Brew on a Bad Traffic Day

The idea for ecoShuttle was conceived in February of 2007, when two friends got together at a local brewery after a lengthy commute through the day’s insufferable traffic jams. Over beers, they noted that nearly every car on the road was a single-occupancy vehicle. Almost no one was sharing a ride. No wonder the ‘greenest city in America’ still had air quality issues!

The discussion ran deeper until the idea of a more environmentally friendly way to travel was born. Originally, the thought was to provide a green airport shuttle, but that quickly progressed to include a commuter shuttle and various tour options. ecoShuttle launched on July 4, 2007, by providing transportation to the artists at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Fest. It has grown quickly ever since.

Green in the Machine

The company currently has five vehicles that range in passenger capacity from nine to 48 people and include a school bus, coach bus, two minibuses and a sprinter van. Each one is powered by fuel made from waste vegetable oil, which can be acquired for free from most restaurants and then easily turned into a combustible liquid for use in modern diesel engines. This recycled fuel is fast becoming a popular and sustainable alternative to petrol and, as a recycled resource, takes up zero agricultural land.

ecoShuttle provides transport for bands at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, every summer. The company was the 2010 sponsor of the headline band, Galactic, pictured here along with the three owners of ecoShuttle.

To its fleet, ecoShuttle will soon also add a Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle that will be used mainly for airport transfers and transportation for up to three passengers. ecoShuttle already provides sustainable and hassle-free transfers to and from Portland’s PDX airport at extremely competitive rates, with $5 discounts available for round-trip transfers.

“We believe that by offering transportation in biodiesel buses and vans or all-electric vehicles, we are helping our customers reduce their carbon footprint,” says Fiona Mitchell, ecoShuttle’s Head of Sales and Marketing. “We hope to bring a source of knowledge of different transportation services to Green Path Transfers. We hope also that GPT will make the idea of green transportation more mainstream, perhaps even revolutionising the transportation industry as a whole.”

About Town and Beyond

In addition to transfers, the company’s charter services now encompass laidback city tours, a wide range of outdoor eco-adventures and green shuttles for weddings, corporate and arts events. The company’s knowledgeable reservation staff can help travellers arrange day trips and itineraries for any special occasion, allowing travellers to sit back, relax and avoid the hassles of route finding.

Two ecoShuttle buses work in tandem on a scenic tour of Oregon's Columbia Gorge. Photo courtesy of ecoShuttle

With ecoShuttle, travellers can see Portland’s sights in style and comfort. Popular charter bus trips include sustainable wine tours of acclaimed Oregon vineyards to learn about organic viticulture (and savour local wines), in-depth microbrewery tours of Portland’s landmark breweries and an earth-friendly outing to explore the city’s renowned international rose gardens, authentic Japanese garden, classical Chinese garden and dazzling Crystal Spring Rhododendron Gardens.

Many other exciting excursions abound along Oregon’s dramatically scenic coastline, with even more postcard-perfect locations further afield, including stately Mount Hood and the Tillamook Cheese factory. Every trip is customisable, allowing travellers to figure out the best private tour options for their groups.

“We are extremely pleased to have partnered with ecoShuttle for the greater Portland area,” says Adrian Cordiner, CEO of Green Path Transfers. “They have demonstrated a real commitment to eco-friendly transport and we’re proud that they have chosen to join the Green Path Transfers network.”

For more information about Green Path Transfers in Portland, Oregon, through ecoShuttle’s exciting range of transfer service and tours, please visit www.greenpathtransfers.com.

The TIES Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards recognise demonstrated leadership through innovative actions that effectively promote sustainable tourism and bring tangible benefits to communities and conservation. Each year, one individual and one organisation will be honoured for contributions, best practices and, of course, leadership as judged on the basis of one example of an innovative project, product or program developed in the previous year that advocates for uniting communities, conservation and sustainable travel.

WHL Consulting in the Mix

The WHL Group is pleased to learn that one of its subsidiary companies, WHL Consulting, has been selected as a 2010 Innovation Award finalist for creation of the Tourism Development Bank, “a leveraged, barter-based, payment-facilitation platform… that lets accommodation providers pay for market-access, clean-energy and other services with room nights instead of cash.”

As described in the nomination of WHL Consulting: “Typically it is hard for small businesses, primarily in the hospitality sector, to collateralize their assets (i.e. their rooms stock) and/or gain access to finance from traditional lenders (especially in the developing world). High energy costs and a lack of market access due to insufficient e-commerce/online competitiveness are critical constraints to their long-term financial sustainability.”

The Tourism Development Bank is, therefore, an elegant means of overcoming this key business constraint faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises: access to finance. Without money, essential (and beneficial) business buoys, such as market access tools and services, and retrofits or renovations to reduce energy consumption and operating costs, often go unfunded. The businesses are seen as being either too small and risky for commercial banks or too large and not poor enough for micro-finance institutions and donors.

“We have been working quite hard over the past six months in several pilot destinations, like South Africa, Mexico and Brazil and always felt that what we were doing was really innovative,” said Zachary Rozga, CEO of WHL Consulting. “Sometimes when you do this, you get caught up in reflection and just aren’t exactly sure if what you are doing is going to make sense to outsiders. It is nice to be formally recognised by a prestigious organisation like TIES as being an Innovation Leader. We hope this is just the beginning of a good things to come for the Tourism Development Bank.”

Your Thoughts Matter

Project stakeholders, supporters and members are encouraged to comment on finalist submissions by Monday, August 23, 2010. Testimonial comments are considered for the final selection, scheduled to be made by August 31st, 2010. (Supporters of WHL Consulting and the Tourism Development Bank are additionally encouraged to comment on an entry about it in the G-20 SME Finance Challenge. Fifteen finalists from that competition will be invited to a meeting of the G-20 in November.)

The two winning Innovation Leadership Awards finalists will be honored at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), North America’s largest and only conference focusing on sustainability in the tourism industry, taking place from 8-10 September 2010 in Portland, Oregon.

Rozga, in his capacity as North America & Caribbean Regional Director of the WHL Group, will be presenting at the ESTC on September 10, 2:30-4:00pm, on the “Effective strategies for financing and supporting sustainability initiatives in tourism” panel of Track 2 – Practical Ideas on Triple Bottom Line: Managing Footprint and Implementing Solutions.

Momentarily setting aside his attention to the Tourism Development Bank, Rozga will be focusing on a practical model of how micro-franchising allows even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product. The WHL Group is the leading global franchise network for small and local entrepreneurs in tourism.

A leading international event for learning, networking and partnership-building, the ESTC is a meeting place for innovative minds from across the industry, bringing together 500-plus business leaders, industry professionals and community stakeholders to discuss practical ideas and solutions that inspire positive changes in tourism. The ESTC 2010 will feature dynamic sessions, public forums and social functions.

The WHL Group is proud to join these industry leaders and sustainability pioneers as one of the conference’s supporting organisations.

Walking the Talk

For the first time in the event’s history, ESTC 2010 delegates will be given a chance to practice what they preach by participating in three half-day voluntourism field sessions, important recognition of the increasing importance of voluntourism as a niche of sustainable tourism. The roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on opportunities include work at Portland-area landmarks like the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center, one of Portland Parks and Recreation’s community gardens and the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge.

“Come get your hands dirty!” said Laura Guimond, Communications and PR Manager, Sustainability, Travel Portland.

Zachary Rozga, North America and Caribbean Regional Director of the WHL Group, will speak about how Urban Adventures is a practical model how micro-franchising helping even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product

A Chorus of Voices

A rich selection of speakers has been invited to present analyses and case studies at session topics about triple-bottom-line approaches to sustainability in travel and tourism. The WHL Group will be represented by Zachary Rozga, North America and Caribbean Regional Director, who will speak about Effective Strategies for Finding Support for Sustainability Initiatives in Tourism, one of the Track 2 sessions about Practical Ideas on Triple Bottom Line: Managing Footprint and Implementing Solutions.

Rozga’s presentation will specifically look at a practical model of how micro-franchising allows even the smallest tour operators to compete with big companies on both price and product. The WHL Group is the leading global franchise network for small and local entrepreneurs in tourism. One of its companies, Urban Adventures, provides unique small-group (max 12 people) day tours operated by locally owned franchise tour companies. These tours feature things not found on typical (bus-bound) city tours – the kinds of things that only a local knows – and use either feet, bikes or public transport to get around.