New Horizons In Sustainable Travel

Date

April 19th, 2021

Time

12:00pm-01:30pm PDT

Location

Co-Moderators

We were ecstatic to have over 80 people come together for this very important eco talk. Thank you to everyone who joined and thank you to our amazing panel speakers – Forbes, Boxed Water, Alaska Airlines, Kimpton Hotels, and The Blonde Abroad!

You can listen to a recording of this talk here:

Our Panel Speakers

Kiki Rich
Kiki Rich - The Blonde Abroad
Kiersten Rich is the author of the award-winning female travel & lifestyle blog, The Blonde Abroad, featuring photography, curated destination guides, packing guides and travel tips from around the world. Named one of Forbes' top 10 travel bloggers, Kiersten recently moved back to her native San Diego where she continues to create content and run her tour company, TBA Escapes, which offers bespoke blogging, diving and photography retreats for female travelers.

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Alexandra Talty 3
Alexandra Talty - Forbes Journalist
A Southampton native, Alexandra Talty is an award-winning journalist and writer focusing on the environment, travel and farms. She’s reported from five continents, filing stories for The Guardian, Outside Magazine, The Daily Beast, Playboy Magazine and Forbes, among others. Based in the Middle East for seven years, her work documenting LGBTQ rights in Lebanon won an LA Press Club award. In 2016, she was the founding Editor-in-Chief of StepFeed in the Middle East. In 2019, she was named a National Press Foundation fellow for her agricultural reporting.

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Rob Koenen
Rob Koenen - CRO / CMO Boxed Water
Rob Koenen is the Chief Revenue Officer of Boxed Water Is Better; the first national company to offer a sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles. Rob is charged with expanding Boxed Water’s core message and empowering consumers to make a statement that “sustainability matters.” Rob’s extensive marketing and leadership experience is rooted in story-telling with innovative campaigns that span multiple communication channels. In his role at Boxed Water, Rob leads the brand’s trial and awareness efforts, digital opportunities, and retail experiences. In prior leadership roles, Rob has built true lifestyle brands for companies in food, apparel and footwear.

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Diana Birkett Rakaw
Diana Birkett Rakow - VP Public Affair & Sustainability Alaska Airlines
Diana is the Vice President of Public Affairs & Sustainability at Alaska Airlines. She is a senior ESG and public affairs executive and Board Director with over two decades’ experience navigating complex business challenges, risks, reputational and regulatory issues across multiple industries and private, not-for-profit, and government sectors. Diana believes that business can be a force for good when powered by listening intently to people and communities and boldly driving for results that deliver long-term value.

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Nick Rimedio
Nick Rimedio - GM Kimpton Hotels
A seasoned hospitality veteran, Nick Rimedio brings twenty years of industry experience as the General Manager of Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. Nick also acts as a chairman on the Board of Directors for the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

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Sarah Clark
Sarah Clark - Brand Etiquette PR
Sarah Clark has a degree in Environmental Studies and serves as a board member of the Community Environmental Council. She is an award-winning Publicist and Brand Strategist, who has led activations and partnerships for many fashion, beauty, wellness, hospitality and action-sport brands including Revolve, Ugg, Burton, Channel Islands Surfboards, as well as Fortune 500 companies including Cox. Sarah is a recipient of the Santa Barbara Young Professional Of The Year Award, and Top 40 Under 40 Award honoring her approach to creative brand strategies and community partnerships. Sarah calls L.A. home, where she spends much of her free time at the beach and hiking with her son, Oliver.

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Vanessa Rivers
Vanessa Rivers - Co-Founder We Are Travel Girls
Vanessa Rivers is a California surfer girl, writer, entrepreneur, and an eco advocate. Her passion for travel and sustainability led her to create an eco line Summerlove Swimwear (as seen in Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Daily Mail), a private surf lesson company SurfwithVanessa.com and her travel blog GlitterandMud.com (as seen in Forbes). Vanessa is Co-Founder of the popular travel community We Are Travels Girls (as seen on Forbes, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Oprah Magazine) and has worked with top brands such as Google, Pepsi Group and Four Seasons Hotels. Vanessa recently lived in London for seven years, and now resides in Malibu with her husband and daughter, and spends much of her time writing, traveling and surfing.

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