In recognition of International Day of Action for Rivers on March 14 – which shines a spotlight on the importance of rivers and climate change – Avalon Waterways is reiterating its ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism.

“In the last decade, we have made great strides in ensuring sustainable, responsible river cruising for our guests and the planet,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “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 reduction and recycling programs to reduce our environmental footprint, save water and foster a sustainability culture among crew and guests worldwide.”

During the last two years, Avalon has gotten rid of single-use plastics on board its ships and global operations offices.

Additionally, the company has also joined forces with The Ocean Cleanup, which creates technology to remove plastics from the oceans before they enter river waterways.

Avalon has reduced onboard paper waste by 80 percent with digital communications and invested in farmers in order to serve locally produced food and beverage on board.

Lastly, the line said it is “committed to using shore power while docked whenever it is available, allowing Avalon to turn engines off and reduce emissions.”

From 2021 to 2023 Avalon’s goal is to reduce paper waste to less than one percent, pilot a bio-fuel program to lower carbon emissions by 50 percent and make use of electric bow thrusters to reduce emissions further still.

The line will also work with an increasing number of destinations to produce sustainable electricity while its ships are docked and invest “even more with our partners at The Ocean Cleanup to help fulfill their mission of removing 90 percent of the world’s ocean plastic,” Avalon said.

“The ‘green’ blueprint Avalon Waterways has created for the next two years promises lower emissions, more local food production and sustainable shore excursions,” Hoffee said. “But that’s not all. Our commitment also includes plans to unveil the first, fully electric river cruise vessel by 2027.”

In the end, Hoffee noted that Avalon is “dedicated to protecting the planet with unprecedented, environmentally friendly vacations for guests now and in the future.”