On Monday, we at WildChina were pleased to learn that we have been elected as a finalist for the 2010 Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Award by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).

Launched this year, the award “recognizes individuals and organizations who have demonstrated leadership in innovative actions that effectively promote sustainable tourism and bring tangible benefits to communities and conservation. Each year, one individual and one organization (non-profit, business, community) will be honored for their contributions, best practices, and most of all leadership in innovative actions supporting sustainable tourism.”

Our application, which focused on our 2009 eco-toilet community service initiatives, discussed how our new sustainable tourism initiative seeks to “improve local practices and standards of living in rural southwest China. This initiative involved organizing service learning projects for student groups in which they helped villages in Sichuan province, still recovering from the devastating May 2008 earthquake, build eco-friendly, waterless toilets.”

We are in excellent company: sustainable innovators all over the world, such as applicants from Gambia and Costa Rica, are up for the distinction as well.

We’re thrilled to be in the running with so many qualified candidates. Stay tuned for updates!