Earth Day 2019 Protect Our Species

 Happy Earth Day 2019
April 22nd

Protect Our Species

The world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago!

But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity!

We love cruising the world's oceans and waterways.  It is one of the most enjoyable ways to explore the earth.  In order to continue doing so, we need to protect the oceans and our land for generations to come.  Each of you can help make a difference in the future of Mother Earth.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Earth Day 2019 is dedicated to raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. There are many resources on Earth Day Network's site.  Start by downloading their Protect Our Species Primer and Action Toolkit.

What You Need to Know About Coral Reefs 
 and How You Can Help Protect Them

Environmentally Conscious Vacation Experiences

Did you know that Cruise Lines offer an environmentally conscious vacation experience? 

CLIA Cruise Line Members lead, invest, and collaborate to minimize their ships’ impact on the environment.

Help End Plastic Pollution by finding out how many plastic items you consume every year 

and make a PLEDGE to reduce the amount.

Additional Resources:

 (click on the image to enlarge)

U.S. EPA | Earth Day

National Geographic for Kids

4Ocean Earth Day

A Global Concern

When we were in Southeast Asia last year we toured Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.  These signs underscore the need to take action to protect our environment.  We encourage you to start your education on this Earth Day 2019, and take steps to conserve and recycle during your vacations and daily lives.  

Thank you to CLIA, Participating Cruise Lines, EPA, Earth Day Network and their sponsors for efforts to educate and make changes necessary for sustainability.  And thank YOU for doing your part.  

We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species: bees, coral reefs, elephants, giraffes, insects, whales and more.

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat

Earth Day 2018 Protect Our Oceans

 Happy Earth Day 2018 
April 22nd

End Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is poisoning our oceans and land, injuring marine life, and affecting our health!

We love cruising the world's oceans and waterways.  It is one of the most enjoyable ways to explore the earth.  In order to continue doing so, we need to protect the oceans and our land for generations to come.  Each of you can help make a difference in the future of Mother Earth.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Earth Day 2018 is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.

Help End Plastic Pollution by finding out how many plastic items you consume every year 

and make a PLEDGE to reduce the amount.

There are many resources on Earth Day Network's site.  Start by downloading their Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit.  We've embedded one of the videos here to get you started.

According to this video, we use plastic because it is durable and cheap to make. Only 10% of the plastic that is made gets recycled, and more than 70% of the plastic goes into natural ecosystems.

Environmentally Conscious Vacation Experiences

Did you know that Cruise Lines offer an environmentally conscious vacation experience? 

CLIA Cruise Line Members lead, invest, and collaborate to minimize their ships’ impact on the environment.

In last year's Earth Day post we shared Friends of the Earth’s annual Cruise Report Card which compared the environmental footprint of 17 major cruise lines and 171 cruise ships. View a PDF of the latest annual report card here.  Disney Cruise Line was the only cruise line to score an "A" grade in the latest report card posted on their website.

At Disney Cruise Line, we’re dedicated to minimizing our impact on the environment year around and are always looking for innovative ways to increase fuel efficiency, reduce waste and promote conservation worldwide. You can learn more about Disney Cruise Line environmental efforts and check out the entire Behind the Waves video series starring Jenna Ortega here.

(Source: Disney Park Blog)

Additional Resources:

 (click on the image to enlarge)

U.S. EPA | Earth Day

National Geographic for Kids

4Ocean Earth Day

A Global Concern

When we were in Southeast Asia earlier this year we toured Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.  These signs underscore the need to take action to protect our environment.  We encourage you to start your education on this Earth Day 2018, and take steps to conserve and recycle during your vacations and daily lives.  

Thank you to CLIA, Participating Cruise Lines, EPA, Earth Day Network and their sponsors for efforts to educate and make changes necessary for sustainability.  And thank YOU for doing your part.  

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Cruise Ships and Earth Day 2016

 Happy Earth Day 2016 
April 22nd

How Green are Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide taking thousands of passengers to all parts of the globe.   There is growing concern that these floating resorts are polluting the waterways and air with all the waste that is generated by normal operations.

Polluted discharges (of sewage, grey water and oily bilge water) and air emissions are the chief sources of problems, but they also mark the biggest potential areas for improvement.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card

Friends of the Earth’s  annual  Cruise Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 16 major cruise lines and 167 cruise ships. The next report is due out shortly. View a PDF of the latest report card here.

The failures stem from not implementing equipment and procedures which would minimize pollution.  According to their website, the following determined the scores:

• To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
• To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a port and plug in to available shoreside power hookups were graded. In addition, ships were given credit if they only utilize low sulfur fuels continuously at levels lower than required by international and U.S. law. 
• To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an "N/A" if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
• To determine the Transparency grade for each cruise line we graded each line based on whether it responded to our 2014 requests for information regarding their environmental practices.
• The grades for each of the four criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.

 Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Most people that love to cruise also have an interest in protecting the environment for the future.   We want to continue our quest to see more of the world, but at the same time, want to make sure Mother Earth is around for generations to come.  So, what can we as individuals do?

The FOE suggests letting Congress know that we want them to support the Clean Cruise Ship Act.  For those that are interested (click the following links):  Tell Congress to Cleanup the Cruise Industry.    Learn more about the FOE.

Is There Any Good News in the Report Card?

I have to admit that my initial reaction to the report card was one of shock.   The majority of the cruise lines have announced initiatives to protect the environment.   You'll see signs posted in your cabin encouraging you to reuse towels, just like you see in hotel rooms on land.   I have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do intend to turn things around.   

When on a cruise ship, do your part by doing the little things:   reuse your towel,  don't throw anything overboard, or pollute in any other way.

We share this information, not to make any cruise line look bad, but rather to call awareness to a growing problem which can seriously impact all living things if left unchecked.  Thank you for reading this article and for doing your part to protect the environment.

Special thanks to the EPA and FOE for their efforts and for publishing the information which was the basis of this article.   See #EarthDayEveryDay on EPA website.

Earth Day 2015

 Happy Earth Day 2015 

How Green are Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide taking thousands of passengers to all parts of the globe.   There is growing concern that these floating resorts are polluting the waterways and air with all the waste that is generated by normal operations.

Polluted discharges (of sewage, grey water and oily bilge water) and air emissions are the chief sources of problems, but they also mark the biggest potential areas for improvement.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card

Friends of the Earth’s  annual  Cruise Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 16 major cruise lines and 167 cruise ships. View a PDF of the report card here.

The failures stem from not implementing equipment and procedures which would minimize pollution.  According to their website, the following determined the scores:

• To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
• To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a North American port that currently provides shoreside power hookups were graded.
• To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2009 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an ‘n/a’ if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
• The grades for each of the criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.

 Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Most people that love to cruise also have an interest in protecting the environment for the future.   We want to continue our quest to see more of the world, but at the same time, want to make sure Mother Earth is around for generations to come.  So, what can we as individuals do?

The FOE suggests letting Congress know that we want them to support the Clean Cruise Ship Act.  For those that are interested (click the following links):  Tell Congress to Cleanup the Cruise Industry.    Learn more about the FOE.

Is There Any Good News in the Report Card?

I have to admit that my initial reaction to the report card was one of shock.   The majority of the cruise lines have announced initiatives to protect the environment.   You'll see signs posted in your cabin encouraging you to reuse towels, just like you see in hotel rooms on land.   I have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do intend to turn things around.   

When on a cruise ship, do your part by doing the little things:   reuse your towel,  don't throw anything overboard, or pollute in any other way.

We share this information, not to make any cruise line look bad, but rather to call awareness to a growing problem which can seriously impact all living things if left unchecked.  Thank you for reading this article and for doing your part to protect the environment.

Special thanks to the EPA and FOE for their efforts and for publishing the information which was the basis of this article.   See #EarthDayEveryDay on EPA website.

Earth to Cruise Lines Keep it Up

Earth Day
 April 22, 2014

For the past several years we've taken a look at the cruise industry's response to the environment on Earth Day.   This year we'll review an update provided by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Highlights from their press release:

“CLIA member cruise lines continue to invest in systems and technologies that improve overall environmental performance,” said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA.  “The industry takes its responsibility as caretakers of the environment seriously.  We work collaboratively with regulators, design and engineering experts and a range of stakeholders to raise the bar on our ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the oceans and the nearly 600 ports our member cruise lines visit.” 



Following are examples of steps that cruise lines have taken to protect the environment:

• advanced wastewater treatment systems producing clean water
• new technologies that help to reduce air emissions (exhaust gas scrubbers, more efficient engines)
• using shore power where feasible
• energy conservation (LED lighting, high efficiency appliances, cabins heated by recycled hot water, special window tinting to use less air conditioning)
• ecological, non-toxic, slick hull coatings that increase energy efficiency and reduce air emissions

Cruise Line Recycling Highlights:

• increased non-hazardous waste recycled to shore by 18% and reduced total waste almost 5%
• recycled nearly 53% of the solid waste
• 1,254 tons of cardboard,  2,517 tons of scrap metal, 2,988 tons of glass, 669 tons of plastic and managed 748 tons of trash and international garbage at Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facilities
• over 52,000 gallons of used cooking oil annually 

These are just some samples of what individual cruise lines or family of brands have accomplished in 2013. The press release provides many more examples and additional details about how cruise lines have made a positive impact on the world.

The cruise industry is highlighting how its member lines are safeguarding the oceans and the environment through the recently launched ‘Cruise Forward’ industry-wide communications initiative.  Specific examples of how cruise lines across the globe are actively working to reduce the overall environmental impact of cruising and preserve and protect pristine oceans, beaches and ports can be found online at www.cruiseforward.org. 

Save the Waves

Royal Caribbean and other lines have special containers like these which help them separate the waste so that they can carry out these conservation efforts.

You can do your part by placing your garbage in the proper containers on the ship during your cruise.

On this Earth Day 2014, the earth is smiling about the progress made to date and hopes that everyone sailing on the seven seas continues in carrying out these efforts to protect the land and seas for future generations.

Here are some past Earth Day articles.  Links in these articles can assist you in additional research.  Each cruise line has a page dedicated to their efforts.  They are all very proud of what has been accomplished to date.

Past Articles:

Cruise Lines and Earth Day 2013 

Cruise Lines and Earth Day 2012 

Let There Be Green On the Sea

Every Day is Earth Day on Cruise Ship

 

Emissions Regulations Prompt Deployment Changes

North American Emission Control Area     Source: EPA

New Rules Impact Cruise Industry

We are eighteen months away from the implementation of new regulations restricting the Sulfur oxide (SO_x) emissions of marine fuel in the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).   Under the new regulations, effective January 1, 2015, cruise ships operating in the zone must only emit .01% instead of the currently allowed 1% levels.  The ECA requirements will become enforceable in the U.S. Caribbean ECA in January 2014.

Complete details can be found in this EPA Briefing.

These low-sulfur fuel requirements could dramatically increase operating costs for the cruise lines and Carnival Cruise Lines has announced deployment changes of several ships as it tries to get ahead of the curve of the new regulations.

Where is the North American ECA 

The area of the North American ECA includes waters adjacent to the Pacific coast, the Atlantic/Gulf coast and the eight main Hawaiian Islands. It extends up to 200 nautical miles from coasts of the United States, Canada and the French territories, except that it does not extend into marine areas subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction of other States.


Carnival Cruise Lines Deployment Changes

The announced redeployments means reduced Atlantic Canada cruises and no ships homeporting out of Baltimore, Boston or Norfolk, Virginia.These are the first announced changes that site the North American ECA and associated fuel costs as the determining factor.

Carnival Cruise Lines and others, including Royal Caribbean, which has ships in the same ports, are working closely with the EPA to find alternative means to reduce the emissions. One possibility is scrubber technology as cited in the letter in the references below.

Ship / Effective Date	Deployment Changes
Carnival Pride December, 2014	Repositions from Baltimore to Tampa
Carnival Glory November, 2013	Sailed seasonally from Boston or Norfolk; Repositions to Miami

The cruise lines have held the line on passing fuel surcharges along to consumers. Hopefully they will be able to find an economical solution to protecting the environment.

April 2013 CLIA Position on North American ECA

The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) made the following statement earlier this year:

"CLIA supports the goals and principles of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA). Our industry is committed to protecting coastal air quality not only because it is the responsible thing to do, but also because the very nature of our business depends on a healthy natural environment. We are proud of the environmental stewardship of our member lines and their proactive response to applicable international and Federal air emissions requirements wherever their ships operate."  

They, along with the IMO, have proposed the following:

"The industry supports a variety of flexible approaches that can be utilized to achieve equal or better health benefits, including averaging based on air quality, innovative exhaust scrubbers, using alternative energy sources such as shore power in port, and adjusting ship speeds."  [Full article]



Additional References:

EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality web site

Designation of Emission Control Area to Reduce Emissions from Ships in the U.S. Caribbean

Designation of North American Emission Control Area to Reduce Emissions from Ships (PDF)

Letter to IMO from EPA and U.S Coast Guard regarding equivalent methods to comply with the ECA fuel sulfur requirements (PDF)

We will continue to monitor this developing story.   It is unfortunate that Carnival Cruise Lines has made these changes, but hopefully they will be able to return to these homeports in the future.

Let There Be Green On the Sea

Earth Day 2011 

April 22nd

How Green are Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide taking thousands of passengers to all parts of the globe.   There is growing concern that these floating resorts are polluting the waterways and air with all the waste that is generated by normal operations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently conducted a study of the impact of cruise ships and published their findings.  

Download the entire Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report (PDF) (162 pp, 1MB)

The Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report (Assessment Report) examines five primary cruise ship waste streams -- sewage, graywater, oily bilge water, solid waste, and hazardous waste. For each waste stream, the Assessment Report discusses (1) what the waste stream is and how much is generated; (2) what laws apply to the waste stream; (3) how the waste stream is managed; (4) potential environmental impacts of the waste stream; (5) on-going actions by the federal government to address the waste stream; and (6) a wide range of options and alternatives to address the waste stream from cruise ships in the future.



Cruise Ship Wastewater Discharges Fact Sheet | PDF Version (2 pp, 288K, About PDF)

The Problem: Cruise Ship Water Pollution

Cruise ships currently operate largely unregulated. They release hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage and polluted water (containing bacteria, metals, viruses and nutrients) into  our oceans and coastal waters as close as three nautical miles from shore.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card

Friends of the Earth’s 2nd annual Cruise Ship Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 11 major cruise lines and 113 cruise ships.  The results of this evaluation may shock you.   The best grade of all the cruise lines evaluated was a B- with the majority of the ships and cruise lines earning C's, D's, and F's.. 

The failures stem from not implementing equipment and procedures which would minimize pollution.  According to their website, the following determined the scores:

• To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
• To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a North American port that currently provides shoreside power hookups were graded.
• To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2009 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an ‘n/a’ if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
• The grades for each of the criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.

The Solution: The Clean Cruise Ship Act

The Clean Cruise Ship Act (S.1820/H.R.3888) will achieve landmark reductions in water-based pollution from the many cruise ships plying U.S. waters. The bill prohibits the discharge of hazardous waste, sewage sludge, and incinerator ash within all U.S. waters and prohibits the discharge of sewage, graywater, and oily bilge water within 12 nautical miles of shore. In addition, the bill establishes cruise ship water quality standards and monitoring and reporting requirements. The Clean Cruise Ship Act is a substantial but feasible change from the currently under-regulated state of the cruise industry and will help to protect America’s coastlines, food supply, and beautiful natural resources from pollution.

Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Most people that love to cruise also have an interest in protecting the environment for the future.   We want to continue our quest to see more of the world, but at the same time, want to make sure Mother Earth is around for generations to come.  So, what can we as individuals do?

The FOE suggests letting Congress know that we want them to support the Clean Cruise Ship Act.  For those that are interested (click the following links):  Tell Congress to Cleanup the Cruise Industry.    Learn more about the FOE.

Is There Any Good News in the Report Card?

I have to admit that my initial reaction to the report card was one of shock.   The majority of the cruise lines have announced initiatives to protect the environment.   You'll see signs posted in your cabin encouraging you to reuse towels, just like you see in hotel rooms on land.   I have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do intend to turn things around.  

Of the eleven cruise lines that were evaluated, only two had lower scores in the most recent report card.  Six lines remained the same, two improved and the last one wasn't rated previously.  Perhaps with regulation, there can be additional improvement over time. 

When on a cruise ship, do your part by doing the little things:   reuse your towel,  don't throw anything overboard, or pollute in any other way.

We share this information, not to make any cruise line look bad, but rather to call awareness to a growing problem which can seriously impact all living things if left unchecked.  Thank you for reading this article and for doing your part to protect the environment.

Special thanks to the EPA and FOE for their efforts and for publishing the information which was the basis of this article.

Every Day is Earth Day on Cruise Ship

Happy

Earth Day 

2010

40 years ago today, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day, designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. More than 175 countries celebrate this event every year. 

Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues, from April 16-22.  Events Around the Nation (click)

EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.  This Earth Day, EPA asks YOU to join in protecting our planet, ensuring clean air and water for all people and for our children.  Take Action...  On Earth Day, choose at least 5 actions you'll commit to protect the environment. Celebrate!... Find an event in your community.  Live Green... Listen to Podcasts to find out how. (click on the previous links to learn how you can make a difference)

Royal Caribbean and the Environment


As the blog post title suggests, cruise lines have taken an active role in adopting programs to protect the environment.   In this post, I'll focus on Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. although they are not alone in the endeavor to protect the environment.

Richard D. Fain, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., stated:

In everything we do, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is ever conscious of a very special, and very certain, responsibility. Simply put, we must protect the marine environment and sustain the well-being of the people and places we serve. Because we know that clean oceans are good for the environment, good for our guests and good for our business, we strive to achieve the highest possible standards of environmental and community stewardship.   Read More

For nearly 40 years, Royal Caribbean has carried out a wide variety of environmental activities. In 1992, they formalized those efforts into a program called Save The Waves®.

There are four key principles of Save The Waves®:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Practice Pollution Prevention
• Go Above and Beyond Compliance (ABC)
• Continuous Improvement

During the Oasis of the Seas Atlantic Crossing after completion, Captain Bill held the following interview:
Video: Blue Seas Green Practices (click here)

Additional Royal Caribbean Environmental Links
Environmental Initiatives
The Ocean Fund
Outreach and Achievements

When you sail your next Royal Caribbean cruise, be sure to pay attention to the signs and announcements regarding ways that you can help protect the environment and Save the Waves®.  Little things like using that towel one more day can make a big difference, especially if every passenger would participate.

If you are like me, you love cruising - be sure to do your part to save the environment for those that follow.