It wasnt' that long ago that the cruise industry was taking a real beating from environmental groups for less-than-green practices at sea: namely, dumping a whole range of toxins, from human wastes to dry cleaning chemicals, directly into the ocean. Now, one of the companies that received special attention from enviros, Royal Carribean, has received the Kuoni Travel Group's 2005 Green Planet Award for environmental excellence and innovation, according to GreenBiz.com. I can't find any information about the award on Kuoni's site, but Royal Carribean is certainly using this news as a way of touting its environmental initiatives. Their efforts certainly look sincere -- any evidence otherwise?
I had to deal with a particularly ugly bout of liberal guilt when the environmental allegations first came out, as my wife and I had celebrated our honeymoon aboard a Royal Carribean ship (can't remember which one). We'd love to do another cruise -- they are fun -- but I'll definitely be checking the environmental records...
Categories: environment, sustainability, award, cruise ships, travel
