Hurtigruten Expeditions is launching a sale for Earth Week and its Hurtigruten Foundation will donate to support Alaskan wildland. The Foundation will donate 1 percent of the total cost of each Alaskan cruise sold during Earth Week to Alaska Wilderness League, which will help protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, located in Alaska’s northeast corner, as well as other wildlife reserves. Comprising 19.6 million acres of wildland, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the largest unit in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
“Sustainability is an integral part of Hurtigruten’s DNA and our priority any day of the year. From introducing the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, a few years ago, to most of our ships soon operating with biofuel from organic waste and battery power, we can confidently claim we have the greenest fleet in the industry,” said John Downey, president of Hurtigruten Americas, in a press statement.
“Another important aspect of our everyday focus on the environment we operate within is working closely with all the local communities in the destinations we serve to help empower them for the future. Our mission is that you arrive as a guest but leave as a friend, as you get to know and understand the local indigenous population. In Alaska, we take you further and closer to the remote communities than any of the large ships can ever get,“ added Downey.
“Alaska Wilderness League stands with the many people and organizations that believe in a sustainable future for Alaska. We also honor and respect the cultures of Alaska Natives whose way of life remains deeply connected to the state’s land, water, and wildlife,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of Alaska Wilderness League, in a press statement. “Alaska, with its rapidly rising temperatures, increases in wildfires, thawing permafrost, receding glaciers, eroding coastlines, and disappearing sea ice is ground zero in the climate crisis in the United States. Alaska Wilderness League is committed to confronting the causes and impacts of climate change and defending America’s last great wild public lands and waters, and are happy to have the support of companies like Hurtigruten and their customers that are dedicated to conducting business in an environmentally responsible way and committed to respecting local Indigenous cultures.”
Hurtigruten Expeditions is also the only major cruise operator in Alaskan waters to be certified by Adventure Green Alaska, a certification program that defines sustainable tourism as travel to natural areas that benefits local economies, respects the environment, and is sensitive to indigenous cultures.
During Earth Week, April 19 to 26, 2021, Hurtigruten offers up to 40 percent off 27 Alaskan and Norwegian cruises between 2021 and 2023:
- Alaska and British Columbia – Wilderness, Glaciers, and Culture
- Alaska and British Columbia – Inside Passage, Bears, and Aleutian Islands
- Northern Lights and Fjords Expedition
- Fjords Expedition Cruise
- Midnight Sun Expedition
For more information, visit hurtigruten.com/offers/earth-day.
