USA River Cruises has pioneered river cruising over the past 30 years, becoming known in the industry as a high-integrity booking agent with extensive, hands-on experience with numerous cruises and cruise lines, worldwide. In addition to providing the most in-depth, friendly assistance possible, our team is 100% committed to benefitting the environment in every aspect of our work. From eco-friendly in-office to on-ship practices, we maintain the highest level of green activity, and make it our policy to only contract with cruise lines that do the same.
Green Office
Our cozy office in downtown Vancouver, WA, houses our close-knit team of agents and advisors. Here, we recycle everything: paper, cans, boxes, even plastic cups. We make it our policy to use refillable, reusable water bottles, rather than the disposable kind. In addition, we have switched to a paperless, electronic docs system for transmitting business information, contracts, etc. This cuts down substantially on paper waste and allows us to transmit documents quickly and safely to customers. Win/win!
Eco-friendly practices include energy use, and at our Downtown Vancouver office, we are fully aware of the role each season plays in how much energy we use to light our space. For this reason, we extend our hours during the summer months, when the sun lights our office long passed our 7pm closing time. During the winter, we start earlier and end earlier, making the most of the day light and preventing excessive energy expenditures.
Eco-Friendly Cruises
The other half of our eco-friendly endeavors involves only contracting with companies that have established green practices on the cruises they offer. Each of them recycle plastic, paper, and glass, and work with the communities they visit to ensure the most respectful and beneficial relationships with local communities and ecosystems.
UnCruise, an exceptional cruise line that we have partnered with for years, has built ecologically-sound practices into their mission statement:
“We understand that ecosystems are fragile, yet important, environments. And we know first-hand the impact our adventures have on sustaining local communities. One of the key components of our company’s mission statement is to actively promote environmental protection through education, actions, and initiatives that promote responsible travel.” They note that their goal is to “provide our guests an enriching adventure travel experience and inspire an appreciation of local cultures and the natural world.”
By delivering travelers to far-reaching locations that they may never have reached otherwise, these cruises do more than just take people on vacation. They show them stunning places, unreachable by other means, nurturing a deep appreciation for all our planet has to offer. In some instances, travelers can even take an active, purposeful role in benefiting the places they visit! Fathom’s latest ship, the Adonia, now features impact travel cruises, during which participants can volunteer to help with community projects that benefit local ecosystems.
If you’re looking for cruise lines that truly respect the environment and strive to make it better with each and every trip, contact USA River Cruises! We are more than happy to share our experiences with each cruise line and destination, so you can choose the best possible fit.
