Visit Greater Palm Springs’ director of sustainability and community engagement, Lauren Bruggemans, rounds up the region’s approach.
The Greater Palm Springs region is known both for its rich cultural and natural heritage as well as its position as a cleantech and renewable energy hub, exemplifying the values of sustainability and conservation.
As a representative of the tourism and hospitality industry and the largest driver of the Coachella Valley’s local economy, Visit Greater Palm Springs is committed to being a responsible steward of our region by improving the quality of life for our residents and advancing regional collaboration, while promoting our unique and diverse destination to the world.
We’ve committed to addressing the environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic impacts of tourism, evidenced by their inclusion in our short- and long-term strategic plans, and by creating the role where I now serve as the director of sustainability and community engagement, providing focused attention on these important issues.
Our holistic vision of sustainability recognises workforce development, youth engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, cultural heritage tourism and accessibility as subsets of our sustainability strategy.
We strive to centre our residents in our work and harness the power of the industry to widen the circle of opportunity to uplift under-served communities.