Environmental Awareness Blog

A Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving

A recent report was published by Report Buyer entitled "Ethical Food and Beverage, Personal Care and Household Products in the U.S." stating that despite the economic downturn, "ethical grocery products are continuing to make headway in the market."  Does this mean Americans are beginning to look out for their own health and the health of the plane as well?

According to this report, consumer demand is steadily increasing for products that fulfill eco-friendly, natural, organic, local, humane, and fair trade criteria. Major marketers and retailers are increasingly tapping into this trend by offering more ethical products, upping their corporate responsibility efforts through energy-efficient "green" facilities and sustainable business practices, and increasing their associated cause-related marketing efforts.

Anyone knows by simply walking into a busy Whole Foods that there is a strong customer demand for healthier products.  According to the report, approximately one-fourth of shoppers in the U.S. buy certified organic food and beverages and one-third are willing to pay more for organic food, even in the midst of an economic recession. This means that more organic turkey may end up on American's plates this holiday season.

If you are looking to make healthy and eco-friendly choices over the Thanksgiving Holiday, here are some helpful tips:
    •     Make a shopping list before you go out. Trying to think on the fly will cause unnecessary purchases and trips back and forth to the maket
    •    Buy local and/or organic. Thanksgiving is all about using your local resources to make delicious food. Get your turkey from you local farmer’s market or local producers.

It’s not just about the turkey!
    •    Drink green. Only buy wines with real cork stoppers, rather than plastic. Trees are not cut down for cork, and it is a crucial part of the forestry industry. Look for organic wines and liquors.
    •    Avoid plastic wrap. Most plastic wraps contain PVC which quickly winds up in landfills and has been linked to harmful environmental consequences. Use aluminum foil or, even better, send family home with glass or ceramic storage containers that they can return to you after.
    •    Keep your hands dry! A recent study found that your dishwasher uses less soap, half the energy and 1/6 of the water you might during hand washing. Air dry the dishes rather than heat drying them.

Plant Based Beverage Bottles Offer Eco-Alternative

Coca-Cola announced this week the global rollout of its PlantBottle this week.  Made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and 30% plant based materials (derived from sugar cane and molasses). A life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicates the PlantBottle reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET.

Although the new PlantBottle will help to raise awareness of the need for more eco-friendly plastic bottles, the issue of waste should be addressed first and foremost. Coca-Cola is releasing the PlantBottle for its Dasani brand of water, and as many of you know, bottled water is anything but sustainable. In 2008 Americans drank more than 30 billion single-servings of bottled water.

Many entrepreneurs are coming up with creative ways to reuse plastic bottles, such as Plastiki and the Plastic Bottle Greenhouse.  Projects like these are helping to change consumer perspective on waste. The PlantBottle sets the course to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable.

At Hornblower we provide reusable bottles to all employees to discourage the use of disposable water bottles. We are doing our part to educate our employees and Respect Our Planet.

Be Environmentally Healthy and Do a "Carbon Cleanse"

In September an independent film called No Impact Man generated a lot of buzz around one man who lived carbon free for an entire year. This meant no television, no car, no elevators, and yes, no toilet paper among other carbon-emitting life's comforts that he chose to give up. What viewers learned is about the difference that no-impact living can have on your quality of life and the quality of the planet.

A month after the film was released the actual No Impact Man Colin Beavan declared a national No Impact Week starting on October 18, 2009. Check out stories about the first No Impact Week for inspiration.

If you are indeed inspired, the NRDC is launching a second No Impact Week just in time for the holidays beginning November 15, 2009. We encourage you to register and take the pledge for a week long "carbon cleanse" to help reduce your overall carbon footprint.  You can download the guide here.

Hornblower Cruises is working hard to reduce our environmental footprint as well. A great example is our goal of an 80% diversion rate at Alcatraz Cruises by year end 2009.  As of September 2009 we are diverting 76% of our waste, taking us closer to our goal! Eventually we hope to achieve zero waste at Alcatraz Landing, and all of our ports, through hard work and small victories that lead to greater and greener accomplishments.