Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has completed a fleet-wide plastic elimination initiative.
All ships are now free of single-use plastic bottles, cups, straws and stirrers. The effort coincides with National Geographic's "Planet or Plastic?" Campaign. The multiyear project aims to raise awareness about the global plastic crisis, especially as it affects the oceans.
"The ocean is under major assault on so many fronts, and its protection is both a business mission and a personal passion," said Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, ocean advocate and founding member of Ocean Elders. "It is enormously gratifying that our team has achieved this milestone in our elimination program. The health of our planet is dependent on our oceans, and it is essential that we change our behavior with regard to plastics."
"Lindblad Expeditions has been a valued partner since 2004, when we first started working together to offer extraordinary expedition cruises to some of the world's most fascinating places," Gary E. Knell, CEO of National Geographic Partners, noted. "Our shared passion for adventure and conservation made our alliance a natural fit, and their tremendous effort to eradicate single-use plastic reaffirms that. We are proud that Lindblad is taking action to make a positive impact on this pressing problem, and we hope that their efforts inspire other travel companies to do the same."
Lindblad Expeditions has taken steps to reduce plastic waste for more than a decade. The line banned single-use plastic water bottles in 2007. Guests receive a reusable stainless-steel bottle to refill at filtered-water stations on the ships.
"The next phase in executing a broader reduction in our plastic packaging requires an industry-wide mandate to our suppliers to explore sustainable alternatives," said Lindblad.
His company's commitment to the environment includes more than $15 million in support for the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund. The fund awards some $1.5 million in grants yearly. Recent recipients include killer-whale research in Antarctica, training for artisans in the Peruvian Amazon and Galapagos, and conservation projects to protect humpback whales in Southeast Alaska.
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