Avalon Waterways Sets A Course To Sustainability

There is no doubt that the world’s rivers are a benefit of river cruising and Avalon Waterways is dedicated to preserving those precious environments with the Lighthouse Project, an illuminating initiative created to help travellers come together to reduce our footprint and give generously for the globe’s greater good.

With a mission of nurturing a culture of care and sustainability that extends to guests, the Lighthouse Project is focused on three, give-back categories:

• Planet: Conserve and preserve in each destination visited. To protect waterways and wildlife and shine a light on organizations that do the same.
• People: Protect, respect and support the extraordinary communities of the world as well as improving the individual lives within them.
• Places: The parks, palaces, museums and monuments we enjoy today are the result of previous generations passionately committed to preservation. By way of the Lighthouse Project, we aim to pay-it-forward so that future generations can enjoy the same glorious places to relax, renew and reflect

Currently, Avalon Waterways, in partnership with the Globus family of brands, is spotlighting nearly 50 causes focused on the “Planet,” “People” and “Places,” with plans to add more.

Among them are:

• The Ocean Cleanup: Every year, millions of tons of plastic bottles and other disposable products enter our beautiful oceans, mostly by way of rivers, impacting our ecosystems, our communities, and our health. Avalon Waterways is proud to partner with The Ocean Cleanup, a global nonprofit spearheading the largest plastic cleanup in history to rid our oceans and rivers of harmful pollution.
• Trees4Travel: Trees4Travel encourages travellers to explore and experience the globe with a slower, more thoughtful approach while simultaneously planting trees and forests to remove CO2 from the air. Planting trees for travel is a simple but powerful act dedicated to reversing climate change while creating a safe, sustainable planet for future generations to enjoy. As part of its partnership with Trees4Travel, Avalon Waterways is offsetting the carbon footprint of every guest’s cruise experience in 2022 by donating tens of thousands of trees to Trees4Travel.
• Landmine Design: Landmine Design, a social enterprise committed to educating and providing jobs for women living in poverty in Cambodia, has provided dozens of women with the opportunity to safely work at home with their children by rolling paper beads and crafting them into beautiful jewelry. Avalon is proud to support the Landmine Design community and to help turn a cycle of despair into a circle of hope.

Avalon Waterways’ operations team is also highly invested in providing sustainable, responsible river cruising for its guests and the planet.

Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways, said that: “As part of our sustainability efforts, Avalon has invested in a state-of-the-art fleet of Suite Ships and top-of-the-line technology to limit energy, consumption and emissions; plus waste and recycling programs to reduce our environmental footprint, save water and foster an environmentally friendly culture among crew and guests worldwide,” According to Hoffee, Avalon Waterways has also:

• Eliminated single-use plastics onboard our ships and at operations offices, worldwide.
• Reduced paper waste by 95% onboard by favoring digital communications. !!! Received the Green Award for Avalon’s entire fleet of ships, recognizing that each Suite Ship meets the high safety and environmental standards required for recognition.
• Invested in local farmers to secure locally produced food and beverages, reducing food miles while supporting local economies.
  Installed LED lighting throughout ship, fleet-wide.
• Worked with dozens of ports to purchase shore power (while docked), allowing generators to be turned off, further reducing emissions.

And, between 2022 and 2024, the river cruise line plans to:

• Reduce paper waste to less than 1%.
• Pilot a program to use bio-fuel, aiming to reduce total carbon emissions by 50%.
• Utilize electric bow thrusters to further reduce emissions.

Said Hoffee: “Avalon is dedicated to protecting the planet with unprecedented, environmentally friendly cruises for guests now and in the future.

Sail on over to https://www.avalonwaterways.ca/why-avalon/cares/ for more.