Sustainable Hospitality... utopia or reality?

Just spent my walk to the local grocery store having a refreshing conversation with one of Savannah's local basket weavers on what tourism has done for the area and the pluses and minuses of drunk and not-so-drunk crowds during major holidays. Major plus -- revenue for his beautifully woven pieces (for which he spent all morning climbing trees for). Major minus -- noise, disrespect, and overall ignorance of non-tourist related areas. That topic got me talking about my current project -- the hospitality of sustainability -- and first thing he mentioned was that "all that" is for the rich in order to preach "better ways" to the community that they left behind. So, is sustainability, with all its great movements, technologies, and innovations, really that hospitable? Or can it be seen as a ignorantly planned out movement to make shareholders happy and luxury consumers feel better about eating a 4 pound lobster for lunch at a destination resort? This conversation definitely strengthened my resolve to see how sustainability, instilled through a hospitality brand through to its people and subsequently to its guests and community, can make a truly POSITIVE difference not only for the property and wallstreet but for the communities that surround the Earth's many beautiful destinations.