Sustainability Assessment App Project

Background

The WHALE Center Blue Community Consortium was created in response to a consultative session hosted by the WHALE Center, USF Patel College of Global Sustainability, and the UNWTO to explore the role coastal communities could play for the SDG’s.  Following this event the WHALE Center became an official UNTWO Affiliate and worked with the Walt Disney Animal Science and Environment Team to develop a framework using proven strategies of the Walt Disney Company to improve sustainability, reduce costs, and improve quality of life.  The 12 blue Community strategies is saving Walt Disney World an estimated $35 million a year in operating costs and likely double that for its other operations around the world.

Prior to the UNWTO Affiliation designation, the WHALE Center was already a member of the UNEP Major Stakeholders group.  Since that affiliation WHALE has been given Special Consultative status at the UN Headquarters and Geneva including yearly grounds passes, and credentialed to bring a team to the COP meetings on Climate Change.

The Blue Community team continues to grow and includes team members with international certification in project management for sustainable development, and members with expertise in areas that this project might benefit from including but not limited to sustainable food, composting, solar energy expertise, environmental and sustainable design expertise, social entrepreneurship, internet technologies, species protection, urban forests, biomimicry, bio-digesters, transformative education, disaster reduction, planning and community development, architecture and master planning, and policy development.

The Blue Community Consortium now includes over forty organizations each with expertise in different areas of sustainability as well.

The Blue Community program has developed an app and an international certificate program to most effectively use the app through the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management.