Office of Economic Development
Willis Building ● 300 East First Street ● Greenville, NC 27858-4353
252-737-1380 office ● 252-737-1381 fax ● http://www.ecu.edu/rds
For immediate release
June 25, 2008
Contact: Dee D. Harper
252-737-1351
harperde@ecu.edu
ECU’S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT &
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ADD
COORDINATOR FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
GREENVILLE – ECU’S Office of Economic Development and Center for Sustainable
Tourism have partnered to add Alex Naar to ECU’s outreach staff. Naar will serve as
coordinator for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives for the Center for Sustainable Tourism and
the OED. In this role, Naar well work directly with the North Carolina Division of Tourism,
Film, and Sports Development. With this hire North Carolina becomes the first known state
to create such a position within a state tourism office.
In his new position, Naar will develop and implement sustainable business and
environmental strategies throughout the state’s tourism industry. He will be a liaison between
the Center for Sustainable Tourism and tourism industry professionals, including linking
restaurant owners with used cooking oil recyclers, assisting events and festival directors with
incorporating sustainability, connecting the tourism industry with sustainable energy experts,
and disseminating research conducted by the Center of Sustainable Tourism. Naar will also
assist the Division of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development in setting an example of
environmental stewardship in the travel and tourism industry in compliance with North
Carolina Executive Order 156.
“Some specific projects that I well be working on are a collection of “How To” resource
sheets to be accessible on the Center for Sustainable Tourism’s web site, conducting
educational seminars for tourism industry professionals, and creating a network of suppliers
and vendors to support tourism businesses that desire to be more environmentally and
socially responsible,” said Naar.
Tourism is a major economic driver for North Carolina with $16.5 billion in travel
expenditures, $4 billion in payroll, and employing 190,000 residents. With growing interest
of travelers to select tourism destinations that have an environmentally-friendly record
coupled with rising energy costs that are changing the look and feel of everything today, the
tourism industry must be proactive in managing its “footprint.” Naar will work closely with
the Center for Sustainable Tourism at ECU to address what is commonly referred to as the
Triple-Bottom Line—balancing the economic, social and environmental dimensions
--more--
Office of Economic Development/add one
of tourism. The Center is the only one of its kind in the nation and was established to serve
all of North Carolina.
“We believe North Carolina can be a national leader in advancing the role of the tourism
industry in maintaining valuable natural and cultural resources while creating a more
diversified, higher value tourism sector of the economy,” said Dr. Ted Morris, associate vice
chancellor for the Office of Economic Development.
Dr. Patrick Long, director of ECU’s Center for Sustainable Tourism, said, “Alex brings the
knowledge and skills necessary to help North Carolina achieve its position in the marketplace
as a leader in environmental stewardship and protection of community heritage and culture.
As a long-term resident of this state with deep family roots, he understands the importance of
protecting our state’s resources for our residents and for the economic vitality driven by
serving the traveling public.”
[quote from Lynn Minges here]
Naar is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate in business and environmental studies from the
University of Colorado at Boulder. While at CU-Boulder, Naar studied all areas of
sustainable business including new and upcoming green technologies as well as green
business ethics. He has extensive knowledge in green building and resource conservation
strategies and an understanding of how green practices can best be implemented in a business
setting most specifically tourism businesses. He served his internship while in school with
the Boulder County Partners for a Clean Environment.
The Office of Economic Development is a department of the East Carolina University Division
of Research and Graduate Studies and includes the Regional Development Institute, the Center
for Survey Research, the Entrepreneurial Initiative and the SBTDC Eastern Regional Service
Center and. For more information about the divisions of the ECU Office of Economic
Development, call 252-737-1380 or visit http://www.ecu.edu/rds .
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