Crystal Adds Voluntourism to Excursion Offerings

This fall, Crystal Cruises’ guests will be given the opportunity to “give something back” while stopped at Valetta, Malta.

Passengers aboard the Crystal Serenity’s 12-day Mediterranean/Holy Land Voyage can opt to “Go Green” while in Malta and help the environment and local economy by planting trees in the island’s only national park, donating food at a local charity and learning eco-conscious planting and harvesting practices at a local organic farm.

The optional excursion is nearly eight hours long, and costs $95 per person. The experience begins with a visit to Ta’ Qali National Park, where guests will plant trees and learn about the park’s conservation efforts. Following a guided tour and lunch at Ta’ Zeppi Organic Farm, guests will visit a local orphan refuge where they will donate food and interact with the children.

“This excursion affords guests the opportunity to contribute to the local needs in Valetta, and also gain a better understanding of the environmental efforts of the destination,” said John Stoll, vice president, land and port operations. “Like so many Crystal Adventures, this experience offers a new point of view for guests who want to explore destinations from a deeper, more informed perspective.”

The Valetta excursion is a prelude to a larger program, called “You Care, We Care,” debuting in 2011, a spokesperson for Crystal Cruises told Travel Market Report at a recent CLIA luxury and river cruising event.

As part of the larger program, in 2011 Crystal will offer one complimentary voluntourism shore excursion on every itinerary. Guests with an altruistic bent will be able to pay it forward in destinations like Peru, South Africa, Ecuador, and Mexico among others. At least 20 excursions will be made available throughout the course of the year.

“There’s been a level of interest from our guests on how they can help,” the spokesperson said, adding that agents have also informed Crystal their clients are inquiring about voluntourism.
Agents will be able to sign their clients up for the excursion before hand. Group sizes will be limited.

From the “Travel Market Report”

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Releases 2009 Environmental and Safety Report

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has made available its second annual Stewardship Report, which highlights the company’s safety, security, medical/public health and environmental efforts. The 2009 Stewardship Report provides insight into Royal Caribbean’s strategy in the areas of energy and air emissions, water and wastewater, waste and chemical management, community involvement and conservation, destinations and education. The report also reviews how the Above and Beyond Compliance philosophy, which guides the company’s environmental stewardship program, also influences all areas of the company, including safety and security, as well as medical and public health.

“Our goal with the 2009 Stewardship Report was to build upon last year’s inaugural report by enhancing its environmental stewardship content and significantly augmenting the safety, security and medical/public health information,” said Gary Bald, senior vice president of safety, security, environment and medical/public health for RCCL. “Within the report, readers can learn about our emphasis on incident prevention, increasing focus on destination stewardship and conservation, partnerships with medical centers of excellence around the world and our newest safety innovations and progressive security measures.

”Some of the highlights of the report include an overview of the company’s 40-year hi story of environmental activities, which was formalized with the creation of the Save The Waves program. Since its beginnings in 1992, the Save The Waves program has evolved from a program focused on reducing, reusing and recycling waste, to a companywide philosophy that is integrated into the daily operations onboard all our ships. This includes environmental officers onboard each ship, a waste-management program that completely addresses each waste stream, environmental training for every crew member and land-based employee, and the creation of the Environmental Stewardship department. For more information, visit http://www.rclinvestor.com/.

CLIA Statement on Proposed EPA Rule to Establish a No Discharge Zone in California

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) released the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule to establish a No Discharge Zone covering all California coastal waters. The rule would apply to all cruise ships and to large ocean-going vessels with adequate sewage holding capacity. Though it is intended to protect receiving waters, the rule does not cover discharges from land-based sources such as municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

“Cruise Lines International Association members follow science-based industry practices that exceed mandatory California and other applicable water discharge regulations, and therefore meet the requirements of the new, proposed EPA rule covering blackwater. The cruise industry shares EPA’s and the State Water Resources Control Board’s commitment to protect California’s coastal waters. While international regulations permit the discharge of untreated blackwater (sewage) 12 miles from shore, as a policy our member cruise lines first treat blackwater with approved technologies prior to discharge anywhere in the world.”

From "Cruise Industry News"

U.S. Coast Guard Crews Change Tide of Energy Consumption

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England (SNNE) crews will partner with Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) members to demonstrate the nation's most robust tidal energy program on, Aug. 24, 2010.

Gov. John Baldacci, Congressman Mike Michaud and Capt. James McPherson, SNNE’s commander, will unite at Coast Guard Station Eastport to celebrate the first-ever successful implementation of tidal energy at a federal facility.

Massive tidal ranges in the ocean waters surrounding Eastport represent some of the largest in the country, rising and falling over 20 feet. The Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center (RDC), located in New London, Conn., and SNNE collaborated with Ocean Renewable Power Company to commission the first ever use of a tidal energy generator.

The 60 kW tidal turbine was launched in March for testing and is the largest ocean tidal energy generator in the United States. The turbine generator unit (TGU) is set in a steel-composite frame and is deployed from one of ORPC’s research vessels, the Energy Tide 2, in Cobscook Bay. The unit utilizes advanced design cross-flow turbines to drive the generator and the electricity produced will charge a set of battery modules housed in the Energy Tide 2.

The generator was recently re-deployed following several upgrades and began providing clean, grid-compatible electricity to Coast Guard Station Eastport’s 41-foot Utility Boat on Aug. 18, 2010. The TGU will also be involved in a concurrent project to test an active acoustic monitoring system that identifies marine life and debris in the vicinity of the turbine.

“The tidal generator is a pioneering concept in the field of renewable energy,” said McPherson. “The fact that this prototype is successfully producing power gives us the sense that this project has unlimited potential for not only Coast Guard facilities, but for the United States.”

From "Cruise Industry News"