Innovation Plans for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Trip Advisor

This report analyzes the sustainable development opportunities that exist for Trip Advisor to contribute in. It discusses the major challenges faced by the organization regarding the implementation of the SDGs and provides a thorough discussion of the current sustainability plans of the organization.

Running head - INNOVATION PLANS
Innovation Plans
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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Abstract
Sustainable development is a way of using resources for individuals without running out
of funds. It implies developing without harming the environment or affecting it. The word used
by the Brundtland Commission described it as sustainable growth that meets current
requirements without compromising future generations ' capacity to satisfy their own
requirements. Reuse of linen and bath towels is the very least effort that a hotel has to make to
earn a green badge, although we owe a royal thank you to Prince Charles for persuading
multinational hotel chains to start doing so many years ago. Therefore, the repost could be
concluded by providing the brief overview of the development of sustainability plans of the
organization named Trip Advisor. The report have thoroughly discussed about the major
challenges that is faced by the organization regarding the implementation of the SDGs’ which
the company faces while operating. The report also have provided thorough discussion for the
current sustainability plans of the organization and also the present sustainable foci of the
organization.

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Introduction
Sustainable development is a way of using resources for individuals without running out
of funds. It implies developing without harming the environment or affecting it. The Brundtland
Commission's word described it as sustainable growth that meets current requirements without
jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own requirements. In 2015, the
Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United
Nations Member States, as an all-embraced call for measures against poverty, for protecting the
planet and ensuring peace and prosperity for all people by 2030. TheThe 17 SDGs are integrated
— that is, they acknowledge that intervention in one region will influence results in others, and
that growth needs to balance sustainability in social, economic and environmental terms.
This report will be analyzing the sustainable development opportunities that exist for Trip
Advisor to contribute in. Out of 17, 3 SDG's would be chosen for the purpose of identifying the
most relevant sustainable goals for the company. These service for further applied with 3
different innovative strategies to realise the sustainable development goals.
Sustainability foci
Trip Advisor’s new sustainable hotel programme, aims to “gives consumers around the
world a simple way to make greener travel choices, right at the point at which they are making
that decision”. 8,000 hotels are already participating and earning green badges on the popular
travel review site.
Reuse of linen and bath towels is the very least effort that a hotel has to make to earn a
green badge, although we owe a royal thank you to Prince Charles for persuading multinational
hotel chains to start doing so many years ago. Hotels are now implementing thousands of green

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policies that could include guest experiences such as an organic menu at the restaurant or hidden
efforts such as gray water re-use.
Hotels are able to report on their work on sustainability in the Trip Advisor Green
Leaders program. The information provided is then validated via random or investigative audits
and the network of reviewers of Trip Advisor that are asked to report any differences noted
during their stay. The information is then verified. However, Trip Advisor has started a program
to highlight green hotels and critics argue that it lacks integrity. Randy Durband, CEO of the
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) explained that "the Green Leaders program was
rather short in external review." “It does not adequately educate travellers about the differences
between the hotels’ own claims and those confirmed by external audits or certification.”
Hotels can report their own sustainable work on their own using the Green Leaders Trip
Advisor program. The data supplied is validated by random or inquiry audits and by a network of
Trip Advisor reviewers who have been requested to identify differences noticed during their stay.
However, Trip Advisor has taken center stage in launching a program to highlight green hotels
and critics say that there is no program integrity. In external review, the Green Leaders program
falls a little short," explains Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
There is also a short shrift to the practice of asking customers to review sustainability
efforts. "In general, visitors are unable to see and are not qualified to judge (sustainability
efforts), such as washing materials, boilers, biomass energy, solar panels, heat source pumps and
waste processes," says Valere Tjolle, editor of TravelMole's Sustainable Tourism site. Trip
Advisor uses fraud algorithms and human reviewers to determine whether there is a need for
investigative hotel audits to verify claims. But Tjolle warns that because the green scheme of

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Trip Advisor does not include 100% third-party auditing or accreditation, sustainable tourism is
"muddying the already muddy waters."
Factors driving sustainable development
There are four broad factors that have been driving sustainability in Trip Advisor. These
include human, social economic, and environmental factors. Human sustainability in society is
aimed at maintaining and improving human capital. All programs under the umbrella of human
sustainability are investments in health and education systems, access to services, nutrition,
information and abilities. Natural resources and accessible spaces are restricted and continuous
growth with health improvements and financial well-being for all needs to be balanced. An
organization will see itself as a part of community in the company framework and encourage
principles of company that respect human capital.
The goal of social sustainability is to maintain social capital by investing and generating
services that form our society's structure. The idea embraces a broader world view of societies,
cultures, and globalization. It implies preserving future generations and recognizing that what we
are doing can affect others and the world. Social sustainability focuses on preserving and
improving social performance with ideas like cohesion, reciprocity and honesty, and the
significance of people-to-people interactions. Legislation, data and shared thoughts on equality
and rights can encourage and support it.
The objective of economic sustainability is to keep the assets intact. If the focus of social
sustainability is on enhancing social equality, the objective of economic sustainability is to
enhance living standards. It relates to the effective use of resources in the business context in
order to preserve the profitability of the company over time.

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Environmental sustainability is aimed at improving human well-being by protecting
natural assets. Environmentally sustainable initiatives and programs are described when ensuring
that the demands of the population are met without the danger of compromising future
generations ' requirements. Environmental sustainability emphasizes how businesses can produce
favorable financial results without harming the environment in the brief or long term.
Sustainable development goal planning
The Trip Advisor Green Leaders program sees the holistic attitude of a property to green
activities and ranks them on the basis of four attendance levels-Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum-
which will be shown prominently on the Trip Advisor zone listing of the property. The more
green a hotel has, the greater the level of its Green Leaders Trip Advisor. A extensive list of
environmentally friendly practices is assessed, ranging from reuse of linen and towels, recycling
and composting to solar panels, charging stations for electric cars and green roofing.
By providing visitors with better data on the accessibility and quality of eco-friendly
housing, the Green Leaders program is meeting an increasing demand for greener tourism and
making its contribution towards a more sustainable millennium, "he added. The program has
been introduced with a group of over 1,000 properties comprising autonomous hotels for
multinational brands, including Best Western, Carlson and others.
Reporting in Sustainable development goal
As lately disclosed by Trip Advisor's TripBarometer, the world's biggest lodging and
traveler survey, 79 percent of tourists place significance on eco-friendly practicing
characteristics, and 85 percent of U.S. hoteliers report having green practices in place at the
moment. "Trip Advisor Green Leaders uniquely details the green practices of accommodation

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complemented by millions of feedback from the Trip Advisor traveler community," said Jenny
Rushmore, Trip Advisor's director of responsible travel. "The program's transparency makes it
simple to schedule and book a greener journey for environmentally conscious travelers."
3 SDG's relevant to Trip Advisor
Life on land
There are many challenges to keeping towns in a manner that continues to generate
employment and prosperity without straining land and resources. Common urban difficulties
include congestion, absence of funds to provide fundamental facilities, absence of appropriate
accommodation, decreasing infrastructure and increasing urban air pollution. Half of mankind–
3.5 billion people– today lives in towns and by 2030 there are expected to be 5 billion people
living in towns. In the developing world, 95 per cent of urban development in the coming
decades will see 883 million individuals living in slums today, the majority of whom are in
Eastern and South-East Asia. The towns of the world occupy only 3% of the Earth's territory, but
account for 60-80% of power usage and 75% of carbon emissions.
Zero hunger
Poverty and hunger are workable and cost-effective. Investments in food safety and
nutrition for the extreme poor, most of whom are rural people, have not been adequate up to
now. The cost of extra investments required to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger between
2016 and 2030 is expected to be $265 billion per year, or 0.31 percent of world GDP, according
to a new study carried out by FAO, IFAD and WFP-the UN Rome agencies. The best way to get
people out from hunger and extreme poverty quickly is by combining investment in social

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protection and additional pro-poor development. In combination with policies for rural
development and targeted nutrition initiatives.
Combat climate change
Agriculture has an important role to play in responding to climate change. Investments in all
agricultural industries can, simultaneously, foster climate adaptation and mitigation while
increasing the livelihood of rural people, although rising temperatures pose a real threat to
worldwide food production.
Innovative strategies
Using developments in science, technology, and information analytics can transform how
the world addresses starvation just as it has transformed many other sectors— even disrupted
them. The scaling up of these appropriate technologies must be efficiently harnessed and
accelerated. For instance, in a globe where 97 percent of individuals have access to mobile
phones, one has to wonder how to harness this new connectivity to empower individuals to
enhance their food and nutrition safety, whether as a financial management or knowledge
management instrument. Supporting smallholder farmers is critical to meeting growing
worldwide demand for nutritious food quality. Despite their often small returns, smallholders
generate more than 80% of developing world food consumed. Their potential for enhanced
manufacturing is enormous with the correct instruments. An significant step in generating
alternatives to world hunger is to enable smallholders to reap the complete advantages of their
job.
A huge technological change will be needed in order to achieve large reductions in the world's
GHG emissions. To convert the power system of a nation or a region, four overall approaches

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could be accessible: 1. Reduce energy demand for all major economic industries and thereby
reduce demand for fossil fuel; 2. Enhance energy performance in order to require fewer fossil
fuels to meet the "end-use" energy requirements and reduce CO2 emissions; 3. To substitute low-
carbon or zero-carbon options such as natural gas, nuclear and renewable sources such as
biomass, wind and solar for high-carbon fossil sources such as coal and petroleum. Capture and
sequester CO2 from combustion of fossil fuels to prevent its release into the atmosphere. Studies
also show that the four phases of technological change are extremely interactive rather than an
uncomplicated linear process that is followed by one phase. This stimulates innovation not only
through R&D, but also through the experience of early adopters, plus the added expertise gained
from a technology which spreads more frequently on the market. Therefore' learning through'
(product-making economy) and' learning by using' (product operation economy) are often (but
not always) critical components which allow the adoption and dissemination of new techniques.
These phases together with ongoing R&D (also known as "learning by looking"), often
contribute to efficiency and/or price reduction of new technologies — trends frequently defined
and shaped as "learning curves."
Innovative strategy of Life on Land
The sustainable development goals are considered to be the blueprint of the United
Nations, which deals with the significant growth of future sustainability development. There
have been various kind of adoption of the sustainable plans, which considered to be the
environmental degradation, along with sustainability, change of climate and the security of water
from the spotlight of the international agencies. The aim of the organization have been setting
various forms of aims which eventually have been leaving behind the any form of environmental
degradations, and achieving the optimum solutions according to the vision of CDP. The vision

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aims for thriving the economy which would not only work for the people, but also for the planet
too. There would be various forms of corporate action taken under the category, which
eventually would be crucial for the organization for developing the ultimatum agenda of the
organization by the end of 2030. This could also help in disclosing to the CDP companies, which
would eventually be contributing to the track programs and the progress against the goals of
SDG.
There have been various kind of goals related to the sustainable plans of the CDP. The
various goals of the organization are clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy,
sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumptions and productions, the action of
climate change and lastly the life on land plan. Therefore, these plans have been crucial for the
development of sustainability around the world. These plans would eventually help in the
making of the sustainable program and conserving the surrounding environment.
The innovative strategy of life on land, which is also known as the SGD15 plan, is the
sustainability of managing the forests, along with combating the desertification of the forests,
which would be halting and reserving the land deforestation process and also halting the
biodiversity loss.
It is considered that forests are considered to be one of the most crucial part which is
necessary for the global sustainability plan and development, which would not only effecting the
environment, but also would be effecting the prosperity of economic growth in the country. The
forest is considered to be the home of 80 percent of the global terrestrial species. It helps in
providing clean water, preventing the erosion of the soil and the flood, and also helps in
providing to almost one third of the carbon mitigation efforts which would be needing for
holding the temperature rise below the belt of 2 degree Celsius. The forest is also responsible for

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providing sustenance for over 1.6 billion people around the globe for duel and the medicinal
plants for health purpose. It is also providing over 10 million people for employment in the
forestry sector around the globe. There are many challenges to keeping towns in a manner that
continues to generate employment and prosperity without straining land and resources. Common
urban difficulties include congestion, absence of funds to provide fundamental facilities, absence
of appropriate accommodation, decreasing infrastructure and increasing urban air pollution. Half
of mankind– 3.5 billion people– today lives in towns and by 2030 there are expected to be 5
billion people living in towns.
Conclusion
Therefore, the repost could be concluded by providing the brief overview of the
development of sustainability plans of the organization named Trip Advisor. The report have
thoroughly discussed about the major challenges that is faced by the organization regarding the
implementation of the SDGs’ which the company faces while operating. The report also have
provided thorough discussion for the current sustainability plans of the organization and also the
present sustainable foci of the organization. Reuse of linen and bath towels is the very least effort
that a hotel has to make to earn a green badge, although we owe a royal thank you to Prince
Charles for persuading multinational hotel chains to start doing so many years ago. Hotels are
now implementing thousands of green policies that could include guest experiences such as an
organic menu at the restaurant or hidden efforts such as gray water re-use. By launching a
programme to highlight green hotels however, TripAdvisor has launched itself into the spotlight
and critics claim the programme lacks integrity. The report have also provided thorough
explanations of the various factors which would be helping in the company for driving and
managing the sustainable growth and development of sustainability plans more effectively. The

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report would also be helping in making the various kind of current SDG plans that are relevant to
the organization and applied to the along with the company. The report have pointed out the
three different SDGs which are relevant for the company. The report have also provided the
innovative strategy for the variable strategies, and provided meaning full explanations.

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Part B
Placement Application
To
The Head of the Program
Sustainable Development Goals
Sub – Regarding the placement in the sustainable development galas work integrated learning
program
Dear Sir,
I would like to bring your attention in the following application letter. The following
letter is forwarded to you for getting your approval for my acceptance as the consultant in SDG
program.
I have been working as the assistance manager in the organization named Trip Advisor,
which is an optimum organization in the travel and leisure industry. In my post, most of the work
which I had to do is the proper managing of the sustainable program and social responsibility,
along with ethical manners. Therefore, I have been responsible for managing the various kind of
sustainable plans in the organization and understanding the need of those sustainable plans in the
industry. The Green Leaders Trip Advisor program allows hotels to report their sustainability
work on their own. The information they provide is then validated by random or investigative
audits and by a network of reviewers from Trip Advisor who are asked to point out any
discrepancies noticed during their stay. However, by launching a program to highlight green
hotels, Trip Advisor has gone into the spotlight and critics claim that the program lacks integrity.

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Therefore, my role as the consultant in SDG plan would be ideal as it would be helping
me as the integrated work program and also my past experience would be helping in the process
too. Henceforth, it is my request to you that consider my proposal and accept my application
letter for my role as SDG consultant.
Thank you

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