Sustainable Travel Initiatives by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines

Sustainable cruising is an important issue in these times of ever-changing environmental conditions and concerns.  Fortunately, two of the most prominent cruise lines, Royal Caribbean and its affiliate Celebrity Cruise Lines, are leading the industry in environmentally sustainable travel initiatives.  Efforts range from seemingly small changes, such as banning the use of plastic straws onboard, to larger-scale goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Here are some of the sustainable travel initiatives set forth by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines in recent years.

Celebrity Cruises
Due to steady progress in its Environmental Stewardship program, Celebrity Cruises boasts that its fleet of cruise ships are “some of the most environmentally-friendly ships” in the whole industry.  Celebrity’s Environmental Stewardship program consists of multiple sustainable cruising initiatives encompassing everything from the design of their ships, to improving recycling capabilities.  Celebrity Cruises designs its ships with high-efficiency lighting and appliances, as well as utilizes energy efficient air conditioning and heating systems fleetwide.  Celebrity also premiered the industry’s first ship built with solar panels with its Solstice cruise ship built in 2008.  Celebrity Cruises’ wastewater treatment system is state-of-the-art and exceeds industry standards for wastewater discharge.

Other sustainable travel initiatives for Celebrity Cruise Lines include eliminating plastic straws fleetwide.  Beginning in 2019, you can request a paper straw as opposed to plastic which takes much longer to biodegrade.  Celebrity also goes above and beyond industry regulations and is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling all materials aboard its ships while finding better ways to properly dispose of any remaining waste items.

Established in 1992, Celebrity Cruises’ Save the Waves program has been committed to protecting the diverse marine ecosystems and increasing conservation efforts worldwide.  Celebrity Cruises has also partnered with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Galapagos Fund to help raise awareness.

Royal Caribbean Cruises
The main goals of Royal Caribbean’s sustainable travel initiatives are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce overall energy use for their fleet of cruise ships.  As a result of their ongoing sustainable travel efforts, Royal Caribbean Cruises has produced a more efficient fleet and reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 25 percent over the last decade.  The cruise line has also reduced its overall daily water consumption and optimized its cruise routes to improve fuel efficiency.  Royal Caribbean will work to further reduce its emissions by utilizing alternative fuels and renewable energy.  A recent partnership with green energy providers Southern Power will further offset emissions by more than 12 percent by the year 2020.

Royal Caribbean’s environmental friendly travel initiatives also focus on waste reduction and best practices in sustainable tourism.  Royal Caribbean has already phased-out the use of plastic straws aboard its ships by the end of 2018.  Sustainable shore excursions are another way that Royal Caribbean is committed to environmentally responsible tourism.  These shore excursions help to preserve local histories, cultures and natural resources.  Royal Caribbean’s partnership with the World Wildlife Fund also aims to promote awareness and conservation to ensure healthy oceans for years to come.

Perfect Day at CocoCay with Royal Caribbean

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