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Contact:  Melanie Gravdal
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The Globus Family of Brands Announces Support for The Ocean Cleanup

LITTLETON, Colorado – June 5, 2019 – On World Environment Day, the Globus family of brands is announcing plans to increase sustainability efforts and reduce waste while also contributing to The Ocean Cleanup: A non-profit organization focused on ridding the world’s oceans of plastics.

As part of its increased sustainability efforts, the Globus family of brands – comprised of Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways – is asking travelers to choose e-documents over printed travel itineraries, prior to their vacations. When they choose the eco-friendly option – eliminating paper and plastic use and waste – the Globus family will donate funds to The Ocean Cleanup to aid in their unprecedented efforts to clean-up the world’s oceans.

Over five trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health and economies. The Ocean Cleanup has developed advanced technologies to eliminate plastics in our oceans. The non-profit organization has plans to cleanup 50 percent (50%) of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five (5) years.

“It’s never been more important for companies to take a role in cleaning up our planet while also reducing and recycling waste,” said Scott Nisbet, chief executive officer and president of the Globus family of brands. “Now, we’re asking our travelers to join us by favoring electronic travel documents over paper ones. When they do, our planet benefits.”

In addition to encouraging travelers to get involved with the Globus family’s efforts to support The Ocean Cleanup, Avalon Waterways – the company’s award-winning river cruise operator – is increasing efforts to offer cruisers sustainable, responsible river cruising.

“The vibrant and beautiful natural surroundings of the world’s rivers are a benefit of river cruising,” said Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways. “And it is up to Avalon – and other river cruise companies – to preserve this precious environment around us. As a result, we have taken great strides to improve monitoring and measurement to reduce our environmental impact, to save water, to limit waste and to foster a sustainability culture among our crew and guests.”

As part of these efforts, Avalon Waterways’ fleet of Suite Ships:

• Use LED light bulbs, consuming 90 percent (90%) less energy than incandescent bulbs.
• Contain state-of-the-art propulsion systems that use 20 percent (20%) less fuel than other river cruise ships.
• Feature upgraded sewage treatment plants – the best on the world’s rivers – that offer a multi-step waste processing procedure, ensuring clean water is discharged back into rivers.
• Have low flow toilets and tap flow restrictors to help our guests limit water consumption.

According to Hoffee, reducing waste is also a top priority for Avalon Waterways. “In the past two years, we have reduced paper waste by 80 percent (80%),” said Hoffee. “We’ve done this, in part, by favoring electronic media. For instance, onboard, we no longer deliver city maps to staterooms each day. Instead, we encourage our guests to use our new AvalonGO app. Off the ship, we prioritize e-brochures over printed brochures. And now, we hope our contributions to The Ocean Cleanup with encourage even more guests to choose e-documents.”

Understanding the environmental impact of plastics – beyond the world’s oceans – Avalon Waterways is also working diligently to eliminate single use plastics across operation.  Systems in place and/or planned for this year include:

• Using wooden stirrers for coffee.
• Replacing plastic straws with 100 percent (100%) biodegradable straws.
• Replacing plastic lids on to-go cups with compostable lids.
• Providing guests with washable, fabric laundry bags in staterooms.
• And offering refillable water bottles in each stateroom – and water stations throughout the ship.

A worldwide effort, the Globus family of brands has eliminated single-use plastics in offices across the globe. The company is working to eliminate them from tours – as well as river cruises – by the end of 2020.

For more information about the Globus family of brands’ efforts to positively contributing to the world, visit www.globusjourneys.com/Globus-Cares/.  For more information on The Ocean Cleanup – the largest cleanup in history – visit www.theoceancleanup.com.

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 To download a PDF of this release, click here.

ABOUT THE OCEAN CLEANUP
The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. 

Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat (24), The Ocean Cleanup now employs approximately 80 engineers and researchers. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 

Instead of going after plastic debris with vessels and nets – which would take many thousands of years and billions of dollars to complete – The Ocean Cleanup plans to deploy a fleet of extremely long floating barriers that act like an artificial coastline, enabling the winds and waves to passively catch and concentrate the plastic. Once fully operational, the full fleet of passive collection systems is expected to remove 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time.

After years of conducting reconnaissance expeditions, scale model tests and the deployment of prototypes on the North Sea, the world’s first full-scale cleanup was deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in September 2018. After heading back to shore at the end of 2018, the organization will relaunch its technology in June 2019 for its next campaign to test design modifications. Once complete, The Ocean Cleanup expects the first debris shipment will be returned to land for recycling within 6 months.

ABOUT THE GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS
Littleton, Colorado-based Group Voyagers, Inc. is the privately held company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands within the United States.  Globus, Cosmos, Cosmos Lite, Monograms and Avalon Waterways offer travelers unparalleled tour, independent travel package, river- and small-ship cruise options.  Considered the world’s largest tour operator, with 92 years of international travel experience, the Globus family of brands is dedicated to enriching the lives of travelers by turning foreign destinations into familiar harbors, where the expense of travel is forgotten and replaced by personal value.  The Globus family of brands is a member of Sustainable Travel International (STI).  Consumers can book a Globus family of brands vacation or request brochures by visiting a preferred travel agent or by calling the following toll free number: 1.866.313.2855.  For more information, please visit www.globusfamily.com.   Travel agents can request brochures by calling toll free 1.800.221.0090 or visiting www.globusfamilypartner.com.

ABOUT AVALON WATERWAYS
Travelers wanting to see the world need only cruise down its legendary rivers. For those interested in seeing more of the world, there’s Avalon Waterways®. Our entire fleet of Suite Ships® feature one-of-a-kind Panorama Suites^SM, with the widest opening windows in river cruising, the industry’s only Open-Air Balcony^SM and beds facing the incredible views. Beyond our wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows is a world waiting to be explored – Your Way – with customizable vacation options, from start to finish.

Whether travelers want to enjoy a guided walking tour of one of Europe’s great cities, join a cooking class or paddle a canoe, our Avalon Choice® selections of Classic, Discovery and Active excursions offer a wide range of possibilities. When they prefer to explore on their own, we can help with all the recommendations, information and gear travelers need with our Adventure Center and AvalonGO mobile app.  And when it’s time to refuel, Avalon’s FlexDining® program gives guests the choices they crave. 

With Avalon Waterways, the possibilities are as wide open as the views. For more information, visit www.avalonwaterways.com; travel agents can visit www.globusfamilypartner.com.