When it Comes to Sustainable Travel, Steer Clear of Cruising

This year, over 12 million people will take a cruise vacation. Whether it’s the unlimited food, the family-friendly activities, or simply the idea of a stress-free vacation, people are drawn to the all-inclusive appeal of a cruise getaway.

So beautiful...so toxic...

Easy on the Consumer, Harsh on the Environment

Cruises are fun, no doubt about that. With one easy payment, you can have an entire vacation planned out from start to finish… but at what real cost?

A recent article in the Telegraph discusses the Carnival Cruise’s annual environmental report on its ships.  According to the article:

  • Cruise ships emit three times more carbon emissions than aircraft. They consume energy for laundry, restaurants, theatre, leisure club activities, water treatment, waste treatment and more.
  • They produce enormous amounts of waste. On average, a cruise ship passenger accounts for 3.5 kg of waste daily - compared with the 0.8 kg generated by local people on shore.
  • Few ships have polices aimed at supporting local communities.
  • Many passengers take a flight to reach cruise ships - further increasing their carbon footprint.

These findings are increasingly relevant as cruise travel continues to be one of the fastest growing areas in travel.

Not All Cruising is Made Equal

However hazardous cruise ships are to the environment, there are those cruise lines that defy the norm. One cruise carrier that deserves recognition is Ecoventura. This Ecuadorian- based cruise, which takes its passengers on a wildlife adventure through the Galapagos, strives to preserve the natural environment as much as possible.

Cruising the Galapagos

While traveling, it is important to keep in mind the environmental impact you will be making on the places you visit. It always seems like the most incredible, mind-blowing places are also the most susceptible to environmental damage. Taking the time to research the “greenest” possible method of travel, is not only noble, it’s essential.

This entry was posted on August 5, 2008 at 9:35 am and is filed under Environment, Whole Travel Blog. Tagged: , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “When it Comes to Sustainable Travel, Steer Clear of Cruising”

  1. Irv Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 9:57 am

    It’s easy to ignore the environmental footprint we leave when vacationing, to think, “I don’t do this all the time, so I’m not going to worry about it now, and just go back to recycling when I get home.” But when everyone thinks that way, the cumulative damage is enormous. Thank you for reminding consumers that every decision counts, and if we’re going to keep the good places around for future trips, we’d better start making better choices.

  2. Let’s be more responsible and make travel greener | Cruises Says:
    November 23rd, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    [...] you have to take a flight and then cruise, this increases your carbon footprint. According to Whole Travel, cruise ships emit three times more carbon emissions than [...]

  3. road trip Says:
    January 10th, 2010 at 2:24 am

    The search engines helped me find your site. Glad i found it because i have learned a lot here. Thanks for all your work!

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