Cosmos and Avalon Waterways parent Globus has launched an initiative to invest in and raise awareness about projects that protect the environment on Earth Day.
Globus’ Lighthouse Project has been created to help travellers reduce their travel footprint and “nurture a culture of care and sustainability that extends to guests and operations partners”.
It is focussed on three categories; Planet: to protect the destinations its brands visit; People: protecting and supporting the communities it visits; and Places: Looking after the parks, palaces, museums and monuments included on tours.
Almost 50 causes have been ‘spotlighted’ with more to follow. Globus will “place a spotlight” on one organization per month, providing guests with give-back opportunities. To mark Earth Day (Thursday, April 22), it will focus on The Ocean Cleanup.
Through May, guests will be encouraged to support The Ocean Cleanup through a monetary donation or by purchasing sunglasses made from recycled plastics culled from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Giles Hawke, UK chief executive of Cosmos Tours and Avalon Waterways, said: “For nearly a century, the Globus family of brands has cast a light on the world’s most fascinating places and people.
“Along the way, we’ve helped travellers uncover ancient traditions while meeting the locals dedicated to preserving them; to walk historic hallways while giving back to the societies that safeguard them and to put down guidebooks and pick up a greater understanding of the world and its people.
“We’ve done this while also investing in the planet, preserving sacred places and helping humankind. Now, with the Lighthouse Project, we’re shining a light on our work and inviting guests to get involved.”
On the partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, he added: “Every year, millions of tons of plastic bottles and other disposable products enter our beautiful oceans, mostly by way of rivers, impacting our ecosystems, our communities, and our health.”