Travelers Company

Are there any eco-advantages to ocean cruises or river cruises?

Cruises of all types, either by ocean or river are not eco-friendly. Green experts, organizations, and research, all agree that cruise lines significantly contribute to all sorts of eco-problems. For example, GreenYour notes…

• Cruise ships produce more CO2 emissions per person than any other form of transportation.
• A typical cruise ship can create one million tons of wastewater, 210,000 gallons of sewage, 35,000 gallons of water contaminated by oil, and more than 50 tons of garbage in just one week.
• Wastewater from cruise ships, including sewage, not contains bacteria that can make marine animals and humans sick plus this pollution creates algae blooms, which reduces oxygen levels in the water which in turn kills fish.
• Several major cruise operators have been sued for environmental infractions, including illegal dumping of sewage and toxic chemicals.
• About 70 percent of cruise destinations affect some of the most biodiversity-rich—and ecologically fragile—areas of the world. Tourists and the developments built to accommodate these tourists can cause some major damage to these destinations and knock out local species of plants and animals.

That’s really just the tip of the iceberg. Read the whole piece, chose an eco-friendly cruise, to learn more about the eco-impact of cruises.

SO what’s a cruise lover to do? If your heart is set on a cruise, there are a few ways you can eco-up your cruising decisions. Such as…

Locate an eco-friendly ship:

For example, ships belonging to Cruise Lines International Association recently agreed to follow stricter eco-regulations. And some companies, while they haven’t gone totally green, have introduced greener ships, such as Viking River Cruises new river cruise ship the Viking Legend, which comes equipped with new diesel-electric hybrid engines that use an estimated 20% less fuel. Viking Legend additionally has its own membrane water treatment plant, and is among the first to be certified under new EU guidelines regulating greenhouse gas emissions.  Note that even an ‘eco-friendly’ cruise may not be so eco-friendly though.

Keep your tourist impact low:

You can lower your tourist impact by keeping your consumption (i.e. souvenirs and so fourth) to a minimum. Focus on enjoying the open sea air instead. Also you should try to reduce mainland impacts when you visit such as walking instead of driving and don’t mess with local habitat.

Atone for your cruise sins:

IF you really want to cruise, it’s silly to spend the whole time feeling guilty. Instead why not donate some money to an ocean-friendly organization to make up for some of your cruise impact or even volunteer for a beach clean-up or two.

Would you consider a cruise, even with the eco-impact, or no?

[image via stock.xchng]