A new initiative is empowering local high school students to champion sustainability and environmentally responsible practices as they carve out careers in the hospitality and tourism industries.

The Academies of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT) are partnering with Fill it Forward, an Ontario, Canada-based company with a mission to “inspire the world to reuse,” to implement the initiative. Through this partnership, AOHT students will participate in a hands-on sustainability challenge centered on reducing single-use waste through reusable products and digital tracking technology.

Using the Fill it Forward digital platform, students can scan reusable bottles, cups and bags to measure environmental impact, divert waste from landfills and unlock charitable donations supporting global environmental and social initiatives.

The program introduces:

  • Sustainability education aligned with hospitality and tourism industry trends
  • Environmental impact tracking to help students measure real-world change
  • Healthy competition among school cohorts through collective sustainability goals
  • Leadership development through responsible tourism and environmental awareness

A critical industry issue

Blending classroom learning with real-world industry practice, the initiative connects environmental responsibility to guest experience, community impact and future workforce readiness in hospitality and tourism. Through the program, students will:

  • Develop awareness of environmental responsibility in tourism
  • Understand how small actions create large-scale impact
  • Build habits that support sustainable destination management
  • See themselves as future leaders in preserving the planet

This learning experience is vital at a time when sustainability is a defining expectation of modern travelers, destinations and global communities. The size and scope of the travel and hospitality industries means they can play a critical role in protecting natural resources, reducing waste and preserving the cultural and environmental assets that make travel possible.

Coming this fall

The program will be implemented across participating West Michigan AOHT academies and partner schools, with engagement supported by the Regional Advisory Board and local hospitality industry professionals. It will be introduced during the Quarter 2 Regional Advisory Board Meeting and officially launched in fall 2026 at the annual Savor and Soar: A Hospitality & Tourism Summit, where students, industry partners and community stakeholders will celebrate the beginning of a new era of sustainability leadership within hospitality education.

This initiative is a part of the Academies’ continued commitment to innovation and workforce development. It also tells a larger story, one where future hospitality leaders learn that caring for guests also means caring for the planet. Through measurable impact, friendly competition and industry collaboration, our AOHT students will move from awareness to action, becoming stewards of sustainable tourism and champions of environmental responsibility.