Green Globe announces re-certification of the AMADEUS ROYAL, AMADEUS ELEGANT, AMADEUS PRINCESS, and AMADEUS DIAMOND, all part of the Lueftner Cruises fleet of luxury river cruise ships, based in Innsbruck, in Austria. Lueftner Cruises is committed to observing the ecological principles and complying with the environmental measures, fundamental to operate cruises safely and in a responsible way.
“We are well aware that tourism always impacts on the environment despite increasing efforts to offer environmentally-friendly travel arrangements,” explained Dr. Wolfgang Lueftner, Founder and Owner of Lueftner Cruises. “For years we have focused on initiating significant trends in this field, encouraging our partners worldwide, our crew members, and our passengers to take an active interest in the environment. Therefore, we are very proud to be the only river cruise line in Europe earning again the much sought-after “Green Globe Certification” award for our Amadeus cruise ships.”
All levels of energy consumption and air pollution are kept to a minimum on all Amadeus vessels, and the correct handling and disposal of waste and hazardous materials is exercised with great diligence. On board the cruise ships, awareness among guests is promoted through programs on eco-friendly practices, such as water conservation and reuse of towels. Employees benefit from regular training sessions to ensure the progress of green measures, shaping and realizing the company’s environmental goals.
“Being socially responsible and preserving our resources is the most respectful way to travel,” added Dr. Wolfgang Lueftner. “Our ‘Fleet Controlling System’ monitors the entire season to ensure that our main engines run with the utmost economic efficiency, and that our vessels are driven in the most fuel-conserving manner. We do our best to optimize our schedules and to cruise the beautiful waterways at low, energy- and fuel-efficient speed.”
Lueftner Cruises is a member with Atmosfair, a climate protection organization with a focus on travel. Atmosfair actively protects the environment by compensating greenhouse gas emissions through the use of renewable energies. Lueftner Cruises is Europe’s first river cruise operator to offer guests the opportunity to offset their own CO2 consumption during the cruise with a donation. The company supports the project with an additional donation of 25% of the amounts contributed in this way. At the end of their cruise passengers have the option to pay the suggested climate protection levy of €EUR2 per day per cabin. Such donations support exclusively UN-certified projects in developing countries, such as CO2-reducing climate protection projects in India and Nicaragua; €EUR0.50 of all donations go to environmental education projects at German schools.
