At Royal Caribbean International, we are very proud of our tradition of environmental stewardship; from the establishment of our Save The Waves® program in 1992, to our introduction of an Environmental Officer on every ship in 1996, to our achievement of ISO 14001 certification for our environmental management program in 1997. Some recent energy conservation efforts implemented by Royal Caribbean International include new energy-saving hull coatings and changing propellers to maximize fuel efficiency. We are also installing Advanced Wastewater Purification systems on all ships. More recently we have been working in partnership with Conservation International and Sustainable Travel International to develop an even more comprehensive Environmental Stewardship Strategy. For more information and progress updates, please visit www.royalcaribbean.com/environment
For nearly 40 years, our company has carried out a wide variety of environmental activities. In 1992, we formalized those efforts into a program we call Save The Waves.® Since its creation, the Save The Waves® program has evolved from a program focused on reducing, reusing and recycling waste to a companywide philosophy that is integrated into the daily operations onboard all our ships. This includes environmental officers onboard each ship, a waste-management program that completely addresses each waste stream, environmental training for every crew member and land-based employee, and the creation of our Environmental Stewardship Department. During the past two decades we have continuously improved our Save The Waves® program to ensure that not only our employees, but also our guests are directly engaged in our environmental management efforts.
Save the Waves® helps guide our company’s operating philosophy. It has become an integral part of each crew member’s job and is the backbone of daily operations. There are four key principles of Save The Waves®:
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Established the Ocean Fund in 1996 to support marine conservation organizations in conserving the world’s oceans. The mission of the Ocean Fund is to support efforts to restore and maintain a healthy marine environment, minimize the impact of human activity on this environment, and promote awareness of ocean and coastal issues and respect for marine life. Ocean Fund grants are made annually to a variety of nonprofit groups and institutions conducting activities directly related to marine conservation. More than $11 million has been awarded since the fund’s inception.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has joined the Cruise Lines International Association in efforts to encourage the adoption of environmental and social good practices among providers of shore excursions. Alongside Conservation International, we have taken the lead in developing a set of criteria to help cruise lines identify suppliers who not only meet standards of quality and value-for-money but also safeguard local communities and the environment.
Please Follow These Simple Guidelines:
Environmentally Friendly Tips You Can Use in your Stateroom:
Through our global Community Relations program, we are committed to making our communities better places to live and work. From our land-based offices in the United States and abroad, to wherever our ships sail worldwide, we contribute at the local, state, national and international levels.
In addition to providing monetary funding and in-kind cruise donations to nonprofit organizations worldwide, we seek to inspire our employees to be good neighbors individually, as well as part of our corporate team. To this end, we organize various employee volunteer opportunities throughout the year as part of our global G.I.V.E. (Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere) program.
Under the G.I.V.E. umbrella, we have opportunities for our shoreside employees to contribute, such as G.I.V.E. Day, our annual corporate day of service; four mentor programs connecting our employees with at-risk kids in local schools; and employee teams for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure,® to name a few.
Our shipboard staff and crew have many chances to get involved as well. They can participate in G.I.V.E. for the Holidays, our onboard program in which staff and crew onboard each of our ships raise money and purchase gifts to give to the charity of their choice; shipboard employees also get to work year-round with our Wishes At Sea program, through which we grant dream vacation wishes to children from the Make-A Wish ® Foundation.
In addition to these programs, we also recognize our responsibility to preserve the environment. Our oceans are our ships’ communities, so our cruise lines are committed to keeping them clean and protected. Our Community Relations corporate citizenship programs help enhance relationships with customers, our guests and our employees, which benefits our shareholders by strengthening our company.
Click here to view our 2010 Stewardship Report to learn more about our Environmental Initiatives