Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Madeleine Orr is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at SUNY Cortland and a doctoral candidate in Kinesiology (Sport Management emphasis) at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the relationships between leisure organizations (i.e. sport, event, tourism, recreation) and the natural environment.

Xinyi Qian is a Tourism Specialist at University of Minnesota Tourism Center. Dr. Qian conducts applied research on tourism-related topics, including sustainable tourism, visitor behavior, and active transportation, among others. Her work on sustainable tourism has been focused on sustainable practice implementation by tourism businesses, and business attitude toward sustainability.

Ingrid Schneider is Professor in Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. Schneider’s research focuses on the human dimensions of natural resources, emphasizing consumer behavior in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism and opportunities to optimize experiences and effective management.

Michelle Heyn, MBA, is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Carlson School of Management and a doctoral candidate in Natural Resources Science and Management at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on dynamic sustainable development strategies for multinationals, reputation management, strategic partnerships, and corporate social responsibility reporting.

Patrick Simmons is Senior Research Analyst at Explore Minnesota Tourism, conducting primary research, managing contracts, monitoring travel trends and consulting with industry partners. Patrick has served twice as Director for Travel and Tourism Research Association’s Central States Chapter. He holds a BA in psychology from Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Abstract (150 Words)

The importance of adopting sustainable practices in the tourism industry is well established but widespread implementation is still wanting. Institutional theory framed an assessment of tourism professionals’ perceptions of constraints and benefits to sustainable practices, as well as actual implementation of energy practices between 2007 and 2016. Perceptions and practices were tracked through an Internet-based questionnaire among professionals in three-year intervals in a Midwestern U.S state. Professionals consistently agreed that attracting new clientele, improving consumer perceptions, and organizational image were benefits of sustainable practices, while initial financial costs constrained implementation. The most frequently implemented energy practices were using daylight and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). Overall, adoption of sustainable practices was varied and implementation rates remained minimally changed. Reasons for the varied adoption and lack of change may be explained by perceived lack of resources, consistent with organizational capacity, or lack of pressure from socio-cultural environment, per institutional theory

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Slow roll: A longitudinal analysis of sustainable energy implementation

The importance of adopting sustainable practices in the tourism industry is well established but widespread implementation is still wanting. Institutional theory framed an assessment of tourism professionals’ perceptions of constraints and benefits to sustainable practices, as well as actual implementation of energy practices between 2007 and 2016. Perceptions and practices were tracked through an Internet-based questionnaire among professionals in three-year intervals in a Midwestern U.S state. Professionals consistently agreed that attracting new clientele, improving consumer perceptions, and organizational image were benefits of sustainable practices, while initial financial costs constrained implementation. The most frequently implemented energy practices were using daylight and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). Overall, adoption of sustainable practices was varied and implementation rates remained minimally changed. Reasons for the varied adoption and lack of change may be explained by perceived lack of resources, consistent with organizational capacity, or lack of pressure from socio-cultural environment, per institutional theory