MOU formalizes collaboration with UOG Center for Island Sustainability & Sea Grant – Guam Green Growth

(Tumon, Guam) – Today, the Guam Visitors Bureau announced the signing of its memorandum of understanding with the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability (UOG CIS), Sea Grant, and Guam Green Growth (G3) at Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon during UOG CIS’s weeklong Conference on Sustainability.

GVB President and CEO Régine Biscoe Lee penned the MOU with G3 Steering Committee Co-Chair Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio and Dr. Austin Shelton, G3 Steering Committee Co-Chair and Director of UOG CIS & Sea Grant. The document spells out the MOU alliance’s commitment “to effectively promote and develop the island of Guam as a safe, satisfying, and sustainably oriented destination.”

“The UOG CIS & Sea Grant – G3 partnership embodies the collaborative approach and community action GVB envisions for the future of Guam’s visitor industry,” Biscoe Lee said.

The Guam Green Growth public-private partnership is Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s answer to the United Nations’ call for communities all over the world to activate the international peace, security and cooperation organization’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). G3 is facilitated by UOG CIS and Sea Grant.

As a signature event of UOG’s Center for Island Sustainability, the Conference on Island Sustainability is a once-a-year gathering bringing together leaders, scientists, policymakers, and community members to collaborate on solutions to unique sustainability challenges facing island communities.

Green alliance

Today, as a destination management organization that demonstrates its devotion to sustainable practices daily, GVB formally commits its resources to advancing the objectives of the UOG CIS & Sea Grant – G3 partnership.

“Sustainability is not just a global conversation—it is a local responsibility,” Biscoe Lee said. “For Guam, it means protecting our natural resources, preserving our culture, and strengthening our economy in ways that lift all boats.”

“Through a host of current and planned initiatives, GVB and its collaborators will continue to support the G3 movement to develop and deliver tangible solutions to sustainability challenges while doing our best to contribute to the full resilience of a green economy for our island and the region,” Biscoe Lee added.

“We’re moving our island toward a sustainable future,” Shelton said. “The visitor industry is really important to the economy. The conversation has been about regenerative tourism, about making sure that our destinations are authentic, connected to the place, connected to the people for the land. And I’m really pleased that the Guam Visitors Bureau believes in this and is moving forward with our memorandum of understanding for the Guam Green Growth initiative.

“We’re now going to be able to assist the Guam Visitors Bureau and their members in helping to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in locally and culturally effective ways. And that means we bring in the resources that we have. Our team with the Guam Green Growth Conservation Corps, our team with the Guam Green Growth Action Framework, and we’ll work closely with the Guam Visitors Bureau team to make sure that the efforts attract tourists and that we’re incorporating these values of our island and the values of island sustainability to move all of that forward.”

For more information about the G3 initiative, visit www.guamgreengrowth.org

For more about Guam Visitors Bureau www.guamvisitorsbureau.com