With a mission of “Nurturing a culture of care and sustainability”, Avalon Waterways’ Lighthouse Project is an illuminating initiative created to help travellers come together to reduce our footprint and give generously for the globe’s greater good.
Currently, Avalon Waterways, in partnership with the Globus family of brands, is spotlighting nearly 50 causes focused on the ‘Planet,’ ‘People’ and ‘Places’, with plans to add more. Among them include:
The Ocean Cleanup
Every year, millions of tons of plastic bottles and other disposable products enter the world’s beautiful oceans, mostly by way of rivers, impacting ecosystems, communities, and health.
The Ocean Cleanup is a global non-profit spearheading the largest plastic cleanup in history to rid oceans and rivers of harmful pollution.
Dutch inventor Boyan Slat founded The Ocean Cleanup at the age of 18 in his hometown of Delft, the Netherlands.
Today, The Ocean Cleanup’s team consists of 120 engineers, researchers, scientists, computational modellers, and supporting roles, working daily to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.
Find out more at The Ocean Cleanup
Trees4Travel
Trees4Travel encourages travellers to explore and experience the globe with a slower, more thoughtful approach while simultaneously planting trees and forests to remove CO2 from the air.
Planting trees for travel is a simple but powerful act dedicated to reversing climate change while creating a safe, sustainable planet for future generations to enjoy.
As part of its partnership with Trees4Travel, Avalon Waterways is offsetting the carbon footprint of every guest’s cruise experience in 2022 by donating tens of thousands of trees to Trees4Travel.
Find out more at Trees4Travel
Landmine design
Landmine Design, a social enterprise committed to educating and providing jobs for women living in poverty in Cambodia, has provided dozens of women with the opportunity to safely work at home with their children by rolling paper beads and crafting them into beautiful jewellery.
Find out more at Landmine Design
The Lighthouse Project is focused on three give-back categories:
- Planet: Conserve and preserve each destination visited. To protect waterways and wildlife, and shine a light on organisations that do the same.
- People: Protect, respect and support the extraordinary communities of the world, as well as improve the individual lives within them.
- Places: The parks, palaces, museums and monuments enjoyed today are the result of previous generations passionately committed to preservation. By way of the Lighthouse Project, the Globus family of brands aims to pay it forward so that future generations can enjoy the same glorious places to relax, renew and reflect.
“As part of our sustainability efforts, Avalon has invested in a state-of-the-art fleet of Suite Ships and top-of-the-line technology to limit energy, consumption and emissions; plus waste and recycling programs to reduce our environmental footprint, save water and foster an environmentally friendly culture among crew and guests worldwide,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways.
According to Hoffee, Avalon Waterways has also:
- Eliminated single-use plastics onboard ships and at operations offices worldwide
- Reduced paper waste by 95% onboard by favouring digital communications
- Received the Green Award for Avalon’s entire fleet of ships, recognising that each Suite Ship meets the high safety and environmental standards required for recognition
- Invested in local farmers to secure locally produced food and beverages, reducing food miles while supporting local economies
- Installed LED lighting throughout its ships, fleet-wide
- Worked with dozens of ports to purchase shore power (while docked), allowing generators to be turned off, further reducing emissions
And, between 2022 and 2024, the river cruise line plans to:
- Reduce paper waste to less than 1%
- Pilot a program to use bio-fuel, aiming to reduce total carbon emissions by 50%
- Utilise electric bow thrusters to further reduce emissions
“Avalon is dedicated to protecting the planet with unprecedented, environmentally friendly cruises for guests now and in the future,” added Hoffee.
For more information about the Lighthouse Project, visit Avalon Waterways
