In honor of Earth Day, AmaWaterways shared a video showcasing its sustainable efforts towards responsible tourism, according to a company statement.

The video showcases the brand’s current initiatives to eliminate single-use plastics, minimize food waste and contribute to the preservation of the planet’s water resources. The video is available here.

“We are seeing a renewed interest from our travel partners and guests about sustainability, which we felt made it timely to introduce our new video on the topic,” said Kristin Karst, co-founder and executive vice-president of AmaWaterways.

“Protecting the environment and enriching the communities we visit is an ever-present responsibility. It is important to provide education and support documents to help travel advisors respond to their clients’ questions and direct them to the products and suppliers that meet their requirements. We are proud of our initiatives, and we will keep building each new ship and itinerary with sustainability in mind.” 

To reduce the use of plastics, AmaWaterways uses paper straws, refillable glass water bottles and refillable Pure Herbs soap and shampoo dispensers in all staterooms. It also provides biodegradable Tetra Pak water containers for excursions. Additionally, luggage tags are made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottle material while the myAmaCruise app has virtually eliminated paper. 

A total of 19 AmaWaterways ships have earned the Green Award certification so far, starting with the AmaKristina. All ships are able to connect to shoreside electric power, which further reduces fuel consumption and noise levels while in port. AmaWaterways has lessened unnecessary food waste from large-scale buffets by serving a la carte lunches on board European ships.

“Travel, when done responsibly, is a force of good in the world,’’ said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways. “The beautiful natural surroundings along the banks of the world’s iconic rivers like the Danube, Rhine, Nile, Mekong and Magdalena River in Colombia are precious resources, and it is up to AmaWaterways – and all river cruise lines – to do everything we can to preserve these environments for future generations to enjoy. We have taken measures to drastically reduce overall plastic consumption on our ships, and we continue to explore new ways to enhance our efforts in all other areas of sustainable tourism.”