Tuesday, March 21

​

      Pre-Conference Activities (optional/free with registration)

               945-1130am: Dolphin Watching Tour
               915am-1045am (be at VBCC at 830/depart 845): Tour of the Brock Environmental Center, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
 

      1130am: Opening of the Green Tourism Business Expo

      1pm-1:55pm: Workshops #1 and #2

                Workshop #1:  Energy efficiency, clean energy & free assistance + rebate programs

                       Moderator: Kevin Erskine

                          Its' time to DRIVE ELECTRIC!  Huge progress in Virginia on Electric Vehicles & infrastructure

                               -Alleyn Harned, Virginia Clean Cities

                          Breweries are upping their Green Game with the Sustainable Virginia Breweries Project administered 

                          by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in partnership with the Virginia Green Travel program

                                -Meghann Quinn, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Pollution Prevention

                          FREE energy efficiency services, rebates and incentives are available through Dominion Energy's

                          Non-Residential Conservation Program

                                -Kenneth Previs, Honeywell

​

                Workshop #2: Keeping Virginia Beautiful - community-based efforts to prevent litter, promote recycling and beautify Virginia​

                        Moderator: Cristi Lawton, Keep Virginia Beautiful

                           No Butts about it! Cigarette litter prevention efforts and clean-up opportunities

                                -Tracey Leverty, Keep Virginia Beautiful

                           Free money for green projects- the KVB Green Grants Program!

                                -Beckey Watson, Keep Virginia Beautiful

                            Committed to making our communities clean and green- local affiliates of Keep Virginia Beautiful

                                -Sarah Sterzing, Keep Norfolk Clean

​

      2pm-3:45pm: Conference Kick-Off and Welcomes:

                                  -Tom Griffin, Virginia Green Travel Alliance & Cristi Lawton, Keep Virginia Beautiful

                                -Nancy Helman, Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau

​

                 Plenary Discussion Panel: Importance of litter prevention, recycling and sustainability to Virginia’s tourism industry

                          Moderator: Katie Register, Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University

                              -Cristi Lawton, Keep Virginia Beautiful

                              -Tom Griffin, Virginia Green Travel

                              -Lisa Bleakley, Resort Administrator for the City of Virginia Beach

                              -Carlos Torres Pablos, General Manager of the Virginia Beach Ambassadors

                              -Nancy Heltman, Virginia State Parks

​

                 Keynote Speaker:  Jennifer Lawson, President/CEO of Keep America Beautiful

​

       3:45pm-4:15pm: Break and Green Tourism Business Expo

​

       4:15pm-5:10pm: Workshops #3 and #4

               
                Workshop #3: Protecting water quality & its importance to a healthy tourism industry

                        Moderator: Megan Hale, City of Norfolk Sustainability

                             Public perceptions about litter and water contamination

                                  -Katie Register, Clean Virginia Waterways

                             Building Flood Resiliency for Tourism

                                  -Mike Tippin, City of Virginia Beach

                             Water protection resources from the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission and ASK HRGreen

                                  -Katie Cullipher, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission

​

                Workshop #4: Looking to the Future-Solutions & Inspiration. ​​

                           Moderator: Chris Freeman, Virginia Beach Public Schools 

                             Ecotourism and Equitable Access to Virginia Beach Waterways (Virginia Beach Public Schools Environmental Studies Program)

                             Where to Plug-in: Identifying EV Infrastructure (Virginia Beach Public Schools Environmental Studies Program)

                             Eastern Shore Rail Trail Community Entrepreneur Assessment. (Old Dominion University Park, Recreation & Tourism Studies

                                 -Dr. Lindsay Usher, Sierra Celec, Anna Medlin, Hadley Deputy, PRTS 475 Sustainable Tourism Management)

                                   

       5:10pm-6:15pm: Conference Reception and the Green Tourism Business Expo
 

       6:15pm-7pm: The Virginia Green Travel Star Awards Celebration and Keeping Virginia Beautiful MVP Awards

                           Co-hosted by:  Rita McClenny, President/CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation

                                                       Joel Rubin of Rubin Communications Group & the WINDSdays project in Virginia Beach
 

       715pm: Dinner-on-Own at designated Virginia Green Travel Restaurants

​

​