This Thursday 22 April is Earth Day and Hurtigruten Expeditions is putting the spotlight on how tourism operators and travellers can create a positive impact each and every day.
Hurtigruten Asia Pacific Managing Director, Damian Perry, says the environment is central to all of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ operations.
“Our policies are aimed at protecting nature, wildlife and local communities, preventing ocean and atmospheric pollution, and sharing knowledge with our guests,” Mr Perry said.
“Hurtigruten Expeditions has a history of more than 125 years and in more recent decades, our Captains and crew, expedition teams and returning guests have witnessed the impact of climate change on vulnerable polar areas. Because of this, sustainability is now at the heart of who we are and what we do.
“Everyone can help out this Earth Day, starting with food waste.”
Reducing food waste through innovation
With Hurtigruten serving more than four million meals in a usual year, even a tiny reduction in food waste can make a huge difference. For Hurtigruten, tiny is not enough. That’s why the cruise line has pledged to reduce food waste by up to 30 percent by 2021. Hurtigruten has implemented a digital registration and real-time measurement scheme for all stages of food production to collect the data needed to minimise waste, and early results show Hurtigruten can expect a more-than 30 per cent reduction.
Hurtigruten has entered into a partnership with the EAT Foundation, a Swedish-based non-profit dedicated to making the food chain more sustainable and fair for both people and planet. The partnership aims to explore further initiatives for making Hurtigruten’s food systems more sustainable and broadening its onboard food offerings.
Hurtigruten maintains a ban on all non-sustainably caught seafood, and demands third-party certification of all fish purchased (MSC, ASC or equivalent).
What can YOU do? Hurtigruten’s top three tips
- Don’t buy more than you need when it comes to groceries and keep track of what you’ve bought and used. Hurtigruten suggests taking a ‘shelfie’ – a photo of your fridge and cupboards to remind you of what’s there.
- Check the use-by dates of fresh food when you buy it. These are the dates to take notice of, rather than the best-before dates.
- Only buy what you can use before it expires.
Hybrid technology & innovation
As Hurtigruten Expeditions enters a new era of adventure travel driven by sustainability, the company has committed to setting and raising the standards for the industry to follow, with the ultimate goal being to operate all cruise ships completely emission-free.
In addition to introducing the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ships, Hurtigruten is testing and powering ships with green biofuel made from organic waste. There are more than 300 cruise ships in the world and the daily emissions from one single vessel operating on heavy fuel oil can be equivalent to one million cars. This needs to change.
Because of the reliance on heavy fuel oil (HFO), the shipping industry is a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly SOx, NOx and CO2. Other pollutants, such as particulate matter and black carbon also contribute to global warming in the Arctic and cause environmental damage in other ways. Hurtigruten stopped using HFO over a decade ago and has been encouraging the rest of the industry to do so. With leading environmental partners such as the Clean Arctic Alliance and the European Climate Foundation, Hurtigruten is spearheading the #HFOFreeArctic campaign to ban the use of HFO in Arctic waters.
What can YOU do? Hurtigruten’s top three tips
- Drive less – bike or walk more.
- Use long-lasting, energy-efficient light bulbs which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps to switch off the light when you leave the room.
- Reduce, reuse and recycle. Follow the three ‘R’s to conserve natural resources and landfill space.
Banning single-use plastic
Every minute, 15 metric tonnes of plastic waste end up in the oceans. If the trend continues, this number will double in the next 10 years and by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.
Hurtigruten was the first major travel company to remove single-use plastic from all of its ships, restaurants and hotels. What’s more, the cruise line has constantly improved the way it reduces, recycles and handles waste, and shares everything learned along the way.
Plastic straws have been removed or replaced, and Hurtigruten no longer uses stirrers, or plastic cups wrapped in plastic, plastic cutlery, plastic bags, plastic lids on coffee cups, plastic toothpicks, plastic aprons, single-use packaging of butter and all other single-use plastic items that 500,000 guests and 2,500 employees might normally encounter on a day-to-day basis.
Hurtigruten has removed or replaced plastic packaging with environmentally friendly alternatives made of paper, metal or other biodegradable and sustainable materials. Most importantly, this has led to a huge cut in single-use items altogether.
But the solution to the plastic crisis depends on more than just one company. Hurtigruten actively shares its expertise and engages with guests, allies, competitors, local communities, authorities and anyone else who wants to join in the fight. Hurtigruten has also implemented stricter sustainability demands on suppliers, challenging them to reduce or stop their use of single-use plastic.
What can YOU do? Hurtigruten’s top three tips
- Give up plastic bags; take your own reusable ones to the store.
- Skip straws unless you have medical needs, and even then, you could use paper ones. And while you’re at it, give up plastic plates and cups.
- Pass up plastic bottles; invest in a refillable water bottle.
For more visit www.hurtigruten.com.au
IMAGES: Supplied by Hurtigruten
