In honor of Earth Day, Holland America Line has announced the roll-out of its new sustainable seafood program, which adopts environmentally responsible purchasing practices and features menus that showcase sustainable seafood.
Working in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Institute -- a Washington State partner in promoting sustainable and compatible use of the oceans -- Holland America Line’s program emphasizes adopting sustainable seafood purchasing practices.
To determine the sustainability of a particular seafood item, Holland America Line and Marine Conservation Institute referred to well-established seafood ratings/rankings from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood, World Wildlife Fund Sustainable Seafood Guides, Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector and others. Marine Conservation Institute then applied their professional judgment to assess the sustainability of the selection. Each seafood item is evaluated for its abundance, how well the fishery is managed and what damage is done to the surrounding marine ecosystem through catching or farming the seafood. The sustainability program places particular emphasis on maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.
Holland America Line will begin the sustainability program with its 2011 Alaska and Europe cruises -- and the company plans to extend the program worldwide across the 15-ship fleet over the next year. Menus will be reviewed prior to contracting cycles to ensure that all procured seafood meets the program criteria. New seafood options are evaluated and best-choice alternatives are used whenever possible. The line has provided sustainable seafood specifications to all of its suppliers and modified its procurement process to achieve its goal of all seafood items being responsibly sourced.
The sustainability program is an extension of “Our Marvelous Oceans,” a three-year program announced by the two partners in 2010 that includes guest and staff education and support for marine conservation biology research. Support for Marine Conservation Institute’s education program also includes annual grants made to graduate students and young scientists working in historical marine ecology.
Holland America Line’s environmental efforts have been recognized throughout the industry. The line recently was named the World’s Leading Green Cruise Line at the World Travel Awards in London, received a 2010 Rear Adm. William M. Benkert Gold Environmental Protection Award from the U.S. Coast Guard and received a Blue Circle Award from the Port of Vancouver. Other awards include the 2010 Marine Environmental Business of the Year from the Port of Seattle and, in 2009, a Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award. For more information, call 877-SAIL-HAL or visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/.
"Travel Pulse" - 21 April 2011
The photograph coined the Blue Marble was taken on 7 December 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17 on their way to the Moon on what turned out to be the last manned lunar mission. The iconic image was seen by many as a depiction of Earth's frailty and vulnerability. No humans since that mission have cruised that far out in space. For those of us earthbound denizens destined never set eye on it from above, we'll just have to see it up close, by exploring the Blue Marble.
The Blue Marble
Exploring the Blue Marble Mission
The cruise industry and it's partner cruise lines are tied indelibly to "things" environmental. It is where they make their living. Be it the seas they sail, the ports they visit or the passengers and crew they carry. This blog will be a brew of cruise business information, how our industry manages it's environmental obligations, information about the ports that are visited all sprinkled with bits of information from the "sciences". And yes, on occassion an opinion or two on various topics. I hope it will be informative, once in a while provocative and always entertaining. So please join me while we explore the Blue Marble.
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