Cruising & The Planet

We all know the world is changing, every single one of us needs to do what we can, if we all do the small things it will lead to bigger & bigger things, we are all aware it needs huge changes to bring some kind of balance back.  I am not a scientist nor am I a full on eco warrior so a lot of this is just my thoughts, I have read quite a few things recently which I will tell you about.

Personally, over the last few years I have made changes, I can’t remember when I last took a carrier bag home from anywhere, maybe from living in France, where bags were not an option, I got in to the habit before most, I now buy block butter in paper, no shower gels but have soap from a box, not washing detergent now back to powder from a box, you can laugh but when I shop, I pick my veg that is not in a plastic bag and have them loose, the lady at the checkout never comments when she is rounding up my carrots and sprouts to weight them, maybe I am not the only one, does anyone else wonder why a swede has to be wrapped ? – very odd it seems to me.

Cruising is a fabulous way to see the world and the beauty of our oceans  but are the cruise lines taking responsibility for the seas that they sail, the answer would appear to be yes, some of them are showing willing, I will not name and shame but I will mention the ones that seem to be making headway in the green fight.  According to CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) cruising forms only around 1% of the worlds oceangoing traffic with mostly shipping tankers using the seas, seems a low number but when you take in to account the amount of passengers on board and the usage of power and waste the percentage is almost irrelevant.  Conde Nast recently did a feature which goes in to more detail.

Celebrity immediately come to mind, the Solstice has solar panels to help power the ship, the Oasis of the Seas has 21,000 square feet of thin solar film that produce enough power to light the ship’s Royal Promenade and Central Park areas.  Royal Caribbean also say eight of its ships have smokeless gas-turbine engines – the first in the cruise industry – which can reduce the exhaust emissions of nitrous oxide by 85 percent and sulfur oxides by more than 90 percent.

it is believed that a cruise ship can produce 7 tons of waste and rubbish in a single day.  Many now are making headway in reducing waste and some are cutting back on waste that would have previously be dumped into the Ocean as they travelled.  In many cases, the cruise ships are now waiting until they dock at the port to get rid of waste where it can be sorted and some recycling occurs, whilst this is better, they all need to make drastic improvements.

The next time you are offered a plastic straw/cup – decline it – make it known that passengers care enough to make their feelings apparent.  If each passenger re-used their towel just once, that will accumulate to over a 1000 a day, less washing = less power.  Dare I even mention plastic bags to you all, please make them a thing of the past.

According to alltherooms.com  the 6 top environmentally cruise lines are:

Royal Caribbeanby 2020 we’ll be working on reducing other single-use plastics like condiment packets, cups and bags.”  They run a Save the Waves operation where they started recycling in 1992, following through with LED lights, the design of the ships hull and tinting windows and much more even the ice-makers use 65% less water.

Celebrity (Solstice), as mentioned above and as they are part of RCI, surely the same values apply.

Holland America – “Holland America Line is proud of its environmental program. The company earned its initial ISO 14001 certification in June 2006. As the internationally recognised standard for environmental management, ISO 14001 encompasses virtually every aspect of our ships’ operations. Holland America Line has been re-certified to meet that standard again and again”  You can see their sustainability reports here.

Disney Cruise – Facts from them:  To date, the environmental programs of Disney Cruise Line have:
• eliminated more than 6,400 tons of metals, glass, plastic and paper from traditional waste streams through recycling.
• removed more than 31,000 pounds of trash and debris from beaches and waterways.
• inspired more than 7,200 children in The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands through participation in environmental
educational programs.

All Disney Cruise Line ships have dedicated Environmental Officers who are ranked among the most senior leaders on board. Each stateroom has recylcing bins as well.

NCL who apparently donate used cooking oil to people in port cities run the Sail & Sustain programme

Our Safety, Security, Health and Environmental Protection policy establishes our commitment to conduct our operations safely, securely and with sensitivity to the environment around us. Preserving our oceans and protecting our environment is one of our core company values that we strive to meet through our daily goals:

  • Prevent accidents and incidents involving pollution of the environment
  • Reduce the environmental impact of our operations
  • Dispose of rubbish and materials in accordance with national and international rules and regulations
  • Recycle and reuse materials
  • Continually improve our ISO 14001 certification objectives and targets

Costa Cruises prioritises the protection and correct management of water resources. With their Stop The Drop campaign on board .  They are also currently partnering the 3rd Festival of Sustainable Development

If you have noticed anything on a cruise ship, good or bad for the environment, please let me know.  If you have any other tips for fellow cruisers, please share them with me here and I will pass them on.

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About Me

Hi I have been in the cruise industry for around 12 years now and have seen quite a few changes over the course of time. I  lived in France for 5 years but returned to the UK as the peace and quiet was too much for me,  there are only…

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