Cruising is by no means sustainable, but the cruise industry is making strides in becoming more environmentally friendly.
Cruising Green
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Holland America Cruiselines:
Holland America, which tops the Friends of the Earth’s Cruise Report Card for environmental friendliness, has instituted several creative approaches to their cruises.
•Fuel Conservation ◦Applying reflective paint to the hull to reduce oceanic drag requiring less fuel to propel ships.
◦Energy efficient appliances.
•Water Conservation ◦Producing potable water from sea water and gathering condensation from air conditioning and used for cleaning purposes.
◦Aerated faucets and shower heads as well as toilets that use 75% less water.
•Miscellaneous ◦Replacing hydraulic fluid and lubricating oil with a biodegradeable alternative from Vicker’s Oil.
◦Replacing toxic chemicals with non-toxic.
◦Recycling solid wastes and and providing unused toiletries to non-profit organizations around the US.
◦Switching to electronic documents decreasing paper waste.
•To read more about the sustainable initiatives, click here.
•Many of the initiatives implemented by Holland America are reflected in their parent company, Carnival Corporation which owns 49.2% of the worldwide cruise industry, as of 2011.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises:
Who says you can’t have your luxury, all-inclusive vacation and feel environmentally guiltless about it? Celebrity Cruises
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Replacing higher wattage halogen and incandescent light bulbs with longer lasting fluorescent and LED lights throughout the Celebrity Fleet.
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Celebrity Solstice is the first cruise ship to be equipped with solar technology. Totally 216 solar panels.
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High efficiency appliances installed in the fleet.
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Windows with films applied that prevent solar heat reducing the amount of air conditioning need to oll the ship.
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Hull coating that increase sailing efficency reducing fuel consumption.
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New hull design and engines that reduce energy consumption.
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Reducing heating and cooling needs and using waste heat from engines to heat water and other systems.
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Conservation intiatives throughout the fleet that are observed by ship’s staffs
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Aerated showerheads and faucets.
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Advanced water purification systems.
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To learn more about the initiatives being applied throughout the Celebrity Fleet, click here.
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Cruiselines:
Along with Carnival Cruiselines, Norwegian accounts for one of the largest portions of the cruise industry.
•NCL is certified to the international ISO 14001 standard for Environmental Management Systems. Which recognizes that they use a core set of standards for effective environmental management system that reduces environmental impact and operating efficiency.
•On Each ship is a dedicated Environmental Officer overseeing the ship’s environmental operation.
•Used oil, plastics, aluminum, steel and oil sludge is recycled. Used cooking oil is offloaded for shoreside installations as bio-fuel.
•Unrecyclables are destroyed in onboard incinerators and those which cannot be destroyed through the use of an incinerator are disposed of appropriately onshore.
•Food waste that is disposed of at sea is done so according to MARPOL and USCG regulations. Which is also the only solid waste that is discharged at sea.
•All ships are equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems that treat black and gray water to near drinking standards.
•All shipsuse emulsion-breaking oily water separators which perform a multi-step process to ensure only clean water is discharged at sea.
•Shipboard fuels that are low sulfur are used in environmentally sensitive areas of the world.
•Onboard programs include the use of fuel-water emulsion, low power lighting, autmatic air conditioning systems, power management automation and optimized voyage routing software help to reduce fuel consumtion and air emissions.
•Regular maintenance of these systems ensure that they continue to operate efficiently.
•In addition to their shipboard initiatives, Norwegian Cruiselines has also partnered with Nextera Energy Resources’s EarthEra Renewable Energy Trust of which $10 from each passenger that sails aboard a Norwegian Cruiseline ship is donated to EarthEra which is in turn put towards building new renewable energy projects in the United States.
•To learn more, click here.
All information regarding the Norwegian Cruise Line’s environmental policy provided from their Ecosmart Cruising Brochure.
Norwegian Cruise Lines
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