Dedicated to making a difference |Sustainability

Lighting the Path to a Better Tomorrow

From our inception, Avalon Waterways has cast a light on the world’s most fascinating places and people – inviting wayfarers and wanderers like you to bask in their glory, intrigue and wonder. Along the way, we’ve helped travellers uncover ancient traditions while meeting the locals dedicated to preserving them; to meander historic hallways while giving back to the societies that safeguard them; and to put down the guidebooks and pick up a greater understanding of the world and its people.

Immersed in enlightening experiences, we naturally gain a deeper appreciation – one that leads to greater compassion, consideration and curiosity as we ask ourselves, what else can we do to protect our planet, preserve our sacred places and help humankind?

Enter the Avalon Waterways® Lighthouse Project – an illuminating initiative where we can all come together to tread lightly and give generously for the globe’s greater good. Avalon, along with sister companies Globus, Cosmos and Monograms, invite our travellers and partners to help us in supporting causes that provide for a more sustainable planet and a brighter tomorrow.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

The Vital Ground Foundation

Protect and Restore North America's Grizzly Bear Populations

The Vital Ground Foundation is a land trust that conserves and connects habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife. Based in Missoula, Montana – and working throughout the northern Rocky Mountains and Inland Northwest, this organization’s mission is to protect and restore North America’s grizzly bear populations for future generations by conserving wildlife habitat and supporting programs that reduce conflicts between bears and humans.

LEARN MORE | DONATE TODAY

PLANET

Keeping the world in its best light.

While nothing is more exciting than tracing the paths of historic legends, nothing is more rewarding than doing so with the most minimal footprint. We make every effort to conserve and preserve in each destination. To protect waterways and wildlife and shine a light on organisations that do the same.

Keeping the blue planet green.

We love caring for the world just as much as we love sharing it with you! By booking an Avalon river cruise, you’re helping us do just that! When you book a cruise with Avalon Waterways, we contribute to environmental organisations that work to improve the health of our planet. Cruise easy knowing we’ve made a donation to The Ocean CleanUp and Trees4Travel—two leading champions of cleaner water and air.And on behalf of every guest, Avalon purchases trees via Trees4Travel to offset your cruise’s carbon emissions, ensuring together that we’re keeping our promise to Mother Earth to be the most sustainable cruise option available. Enjoy the anticipation and excitement of your upcoming adventure as you review your travel documents, while making a difference in the world we discover together. You can also make an additional donation of your own to Trees4Travel or The Ocean CleanUp to help make the world even greener!

A Cleaner Planet is the Best Reward.

Our fleet of Avalon Suite Ship^SM has been honoured by Europe’s Green Award—recognised for our high safety and environmental standards. This prestigious award is given to river cruise ships based on the environmental impact of engines, fuel consumption, waste and maintenance, pollution prevention, and more.

The planet-focused initiatives we support include:

The Ocean Cleanup
Trees4Travel
Wildland Firefighter Association
Vital Ground Foundation – Grizzly Bear Recovery*
Wildlife Conservation Network, Lion Recovery Fund
South African Parks Honorary Rangers

*visited on trip

Additionally, we shine a light on the following organisations through a combination of holiday visits and donations:

Monkey Rehabilitation Center, Brazil
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Baby Elephant & Rhino Rescue, Kenya
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China
National Kiwi Conservation Project, New Zealand
Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Australia
The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Australia
Elephant Nature Park, Thailand

PEOPLE

Helping the communities of the world shine.

It’s not just the splendid landscapes and landmarks that make travel so rewarding – it’s the unique people we meet along the way and the cultures they hold dear. We are dedicated to protecting, respecting and supporting the extraordinary communities of the world as well as improving the individual lives within them. The measure of the Lighthouse Project’s success? – The megawatt smiles we see along the way.

The people-focused organisations we support include:

Landmine Design
Rural Aid

Additionally, we shine a light on the following organisations through a combination of holiday visits and donations:

Local orphanage, Cambodia
Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity
KOTO Hospitality Training Center, Vietnam
Local school English class, Cambodia
Local school, Tanzania
Indigenous Amazon communities (via lodge stays), Ecuador and Peru
Home visits, Peru
Ladli Child Vocational Program, India

PLACES

Reflecting on the past; Brightening the future.

The parks, palaces, museums and monuments we enjoy today are the result of previous generations passionately committed to preservation. By way of the Lighthouse Project, we aim to pay it forward – staying light years ahead of preservation – so that future generations can enjoy the same glorious places to relax, renew and reflect.

While every one of our destinations is precious to us, here are some of the sights and attractions we have supported – many of which we also visit on trip:

National Civil Rights Museum, Tennessee*
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho*
Yosemite National Park, Nevada, California*
Squamish Lil’Wat Centre, British Columbia*
USS Arizona Memorial, Hawaii*

World War II Memorial Museum, Louisiana
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, New Mexico*
Alaska Native American Heritage Center, Alaska*
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site, Alberta*
Museum of the Cherokee Indian, North Carolina*

*visited on trip

Additionally, Avalon Waterways’ team members take pride in being active participants in the travel community, spearheading and participating in dozens of volunteer programs and events.

Navigating the Way to a Brighter Future on the World's Waterways

As a part of our Lighthouse Project, Avalon Waterways has undertaken an ambitious mission to lead the way in sustainable operation and practices. Part of our mission to preserve the precious environment river cruising affords travellers.

This commitment extends to every aspect of cruising. From how we power and propel our fleet of Suite Ships to the care and attention we give to environmentally friendly practices onboard. Not to mention the many causes we support. All to ensure that we're helping to make tomorrow on these incredible rivers as special as the experiences they gift us today.

Creating a Sustainable Tomorrow

Avalon is charting an ambitious course toward zero emissions and sustainability in every aspect of cruising. Our state-of-the-art fleet of Suite Ships and top-of-the-line technology limit energy, consumption and emissions. Plus, Avalon’s waste and recycling programs reduce our environmental footprint, save water and foster a sustainability culture among crew and guests worldwide. Even better? This is just the beginning of what we have planned to protect our beautiful Mother Earth, and her fans.

TODAY, AVALON HAS:

Eliminated single-use plastics onboard our ships and at operations offices, worldwide

Reduced paper waste by 80% onboard by favouring digital communications

Invested in local farmers to secure locally produced foods, reducing food miles while supporting local economies

Installed LED lighting throughout ships, fleet-wide

Worked with dozens of ports to use shore energy while docked

Committed to using shore power while docked wherever it is available, allowing us to turn off engines and reduce emissions

Signed an agreement with the river cruise trade union providing heightened employment standards and protection of our crew. No other river cruise line has made this commitment to their team.

TOMORROW, AVALON PLEDGES TO:

Pilot a program to use bio-fuel, aiming to reduce total carbon emissions by 50%

Utilise electric bow thrusters to further reduce emissions

Reduce paper waste further – to less than 1%

Partner with more destinations to generate sustainable electricity, while docked

Invest more in our partners at The Ocean Cleanup in their mission to succeed at the world’s largest cleanup project: Removing 90% of ocean plastic pollution and ridding the world’s waters of plastic

Unveil the first, fully electric river cruise vessel by 2027

Avalon Cares