Destination DC hosts inaugural Sustainability Summit

Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organisation for US capital Washington, DC, held the inaugural Sustainability Summit, 13 March, an event highlighting the power of federal and local partnerships. The collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) and the local hospitality community was designed to explore avenues to make Washington, DC’s tourism and events industry more sustainable. The Summit also highlighted the city’s dedication to sustainability and its key initiatives, including the 2040 zero waste commitment and the forthcoming Sustainable DC 3.0 Plan. “We recognise our need to do more when it comes to sustainability, so the summit is a step in the right direction as we focus on what we can do collectively as destination stewards,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II president and CEO. Ferguson moderated the event held at the Capital Turnaround, a sustainable venue that revived the historic Navy Yard Car Barn in DC’s Barracks Row neighbourhood. The summit represented local and federal stakeholders and customers and featured a keynote address and panel. Speakers shared information about steering DC’s tourism and events industry towards a more sustainable path. The keynote was deliver by Vicki Arroyo, associate administrator for policy, US Environmental Protection Agency. DDC launched the Sustainability District initiative in 2023. The programme is DC’s gateway for working with businesses and destination suppliers throughout the hospitality industry committed to promoting a more sustainable place to live, visit and meet. Currently there are 27 members. The event also marked the beginning of DDC’s 2024 Global Destination Sustainability-Index performance efforts, aiming to surpass last year’s achievements while retaining the top spot in the US DDC is developing a destination-specific sustainability strategy with GDS-Movement for FY2026.