Tourism has a tremendous impact on the people of Hawai‘i and its environment.  Visitor expenditures in 2007 comprised $14 billion or 22 percent of Hawai‘i’s economy and employed 176, 200 people in the state.  This intimate relationship between Hawai‘i’s economy and tourism is undeniably influenced by tourism’s dependence on a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.  Indeed it is the diverse and unique ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands that drive the constant flow of visitors to our region.  As such, improving the quality of our environment, restoring habitats and ecosystems, and reducing the energy and water needed to support tourism will result in positive impacts on Hawai‘i’s economy.  Toward this goal we seek to link the tourism industry to sustainability of our natural resources, promotion of healthy coastal ecosystems, and respect for our indigenous people and the unique multicultural fabric of our society.  One of the central questions of the center for Sustainable Coastal Tourism is “How can the tourism industry move forward to simultaneously improve the economic condition of the state while decreasing the carbon footprint of the [tourism] industry and supporting ecosystem restoration?”