Can an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle and Cruising Mix? Find out About Green Cruising

Cruising is not exactly the most eco-friendly way of traveling. So, what do you do if you like to live a sustainable lifestyle but also love cruises? You do your best to live as earth friendly as possible in your day-to-day life, and then you book a cruise on one of the cruise lines we’re going to tell you about.

There are a handful of cruise lines that try their best to show travelers the world, while also being easy on her. Let’s dive right into to some of your green cruising options and the ways that certain cruise lines go easy on Mother Earth.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines incorporates many on-board green policies into its cruises. It recycles, incinerates, or offloads as many materials as it can (plastics, glass, scrap metal, aluminum, toner cartridges, photo processing liquids, cooking oil, and electronics). Carnival processes solid waste on the ship when possible, and items that it can’t recycle onboard (furniture, linens, mattresses, and small appliances, are sent to charities instead of landfills.

Two of Carnival’s ships, Inspiration and Miracle, use shore-power technology while in port instead of idling, which wastes fuel and pollutes the air. These ships plug into electrical outlets at port in Long Beach, California, allowing them to turn off internal power sources.

The crew on Carnival Cruise Line ships attends a special training course on shipboard waste management. All carnival ships have officers specifically in charge of environmental issues. An alliance with the International SeaKeepers Society lets Carnival install scientific devices on some of its ships (Legend, Triumph, Miracle, and Spirit) so that personnel can monitor ocean water quality around the ship.

Costa Cruises

Costa Cruises is another cruise line that’s pretty green. Costa participates in a Sustainable Cruise project that’s co-funded by the European Commission. The project aims to recycle and reduce solid waste on cruise ships and dispose of left over materials in a responsible way. Costa treats all onboard solid waste, including paper, plastic, glass, ceramics, and lead batteries, in a technologically responsible way. All food waste is composted.

Costa’s crew includes a dedicated Environmental Officer on each ship. This officer is responsible for ensuring all eco regulations are handled and any issues get resolved right away. Other crewmembers on Costa ships receive training on environmental awareness and the impact of onboard practices. Those in the crew who have higher responsibilities receive more green training.

Costa Cruises was awarded a Green Star award designation in 2015 for having a comprehensive green fleet. Costa was the first cruise line to achieve such an honor. All of Costa’s ships are recognized for their energy efficiently, carbon conservation programs, and water conservation.

Crystal Cruises

Onboard Crystal Cruises ships, all waste is sorted and incinerated or it’s recycled and then disposed of responsibly on shore. This cruise line has reconsidered its purchasing policy so that it buys as many items as possible in bulk (frequently from sustainable vendors). Crystal Cruises cabins feature low-flow showers and energy-efficient one-touch lighting. New filtration systems in certain restaurants round out the cruise line’s green efforts, as does its eco-friendly dry cleaning policy.

Crewmembers on Crystal Cruises ships must participate in training on sustainable environmental practices. They’re additionally invited to join optional sustainability learning programs.

Crystal Cruises won the Cruise Ship Environmental Award in 2005 and 2001 for its green efforts in the San Francisco cruise port. Port authorities in Venice and Stockholm have also recognized Crystal for its environmentalism.

It’s exciting that there are so many cruise lines going green today. Along with offering amazing opportunities to see the world, many cruise lines recognize their important role in providing education when it comes to keeping our global society healthy. In addition to the cruise lines we’ve mentioned, Cunard, Disney Cruises, Holland America, and MSC Cruises also employ green practices.