by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 12:50 AM ET, Fri June 15, 2018
Poseidon Expeditions, a company known for its Arctic and Antarctic expedition cruises, is adopting a variety of eco-friendly initiatives aimed at protecting marine, bird and animal life.
In making the announcement, the company said it wants its vessels to be "part of the solution, not the problem," referring to the monumental amount of plastic now littering the ocean, killing marine life and polluting food that humans eat.
The new policies, to be implemented aboard the company's 114-passenger Sea Spirit, include removing all plastic straws and stirrers and replacing them with paper straws; eliminating individual butter and jelly packages; using eco-friendly detergents and installing bulk body wash, shampoo and soap dispensers to replace individual plastic bottles.
"We're all seeing the gut-wrenching photos of sea tortoises, whales, and dolphins that have been victimized by the deluge of plastic in our oceans. Freeing ourselves of our dependency on things like plastic drinking straws will go a long way toward improving the health of our oceans," said Nikolay Saveliev, owner and president of Poseidon Expeditions.
In addition to announcing its own efforts to protect the environment and eliminate harmful single-use plastics, the company offered a variety of pro-active measures its guests can take when traveling, among them:
- Bringing reusable bottles that can be refilled, rather than buying disposable plastic bottles
- Bringing body and beauty products in reusable silicone bottles and tubes instead of mini-single use bottles.
-Using only personal products that are free of harsh chemicals and micro-beads that can end up in water systems or in the air. Look for organic ingredients in recycled packaging.
Yet another important effort being undertaken by Poseidon Expeditions involves chefs adhering to guidelines recommended by the Marine Stewardship Council for sustainability regarding the types of seafood served.
In addition, Saveliev underscored the importance of offering guests off-ship activities that don't damage the environment. He said kayaking, bird watching and photography excursions on Poseidon Expeditions' cruises are designed not to leave any mark. That includes keeping a safe distance from wildlife being observed and photographed and protecting the fragile flora and fauna ecosystems in the frozen worlds.
Poseidon Expeditions joins a growing number of travel companies that are taking proactive measures to address the problem of plastics polluting the ocean. A long list of companies have made similar announcements in recent months, even implementing entirely plastic-free travel itineraries.
An estimated 8.8 million tons of plastic wind up in our oceans every year, in addition to the more than five trillion pieces of plastic estimated to already be littering the oceans at this moment. The larger pieces of plastic injure, impair, and kill wildlife, while the disintegration of plastic debris and the manufacturing of microbeads are wholly poisoning marine ecosystems.
According to a report by the World Economic Forum, if nothing is done to push back against the deluge of plastics currently overwhelming our oceans, there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish by the year 2050.
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