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G Adventures welcomes ban on single-use plastics in Galapagos
The ban of single-use plastics in the Galapagos Islands has been welcomed by G Adventures. In light of this, the adventure company will offer its travellers to the archipelago a complimentary reusable water bottle for both sea and land-based trips departing as of 1 January 2019. This comes after the announcement made by the Galapagos Council that as of 26 February 2019, non-returnable bottles of any description will no longer be allowed on the islands.
©Kesinee Srisura via 123RF
This follows a ban on plastic straws which came into effect on 26 May 2018, and plastic bags, which are no longer allowed from 26 July 2018.
Brian Young, managing director for EMEA, G Adventures, welcomed the move, saying plastics waste is at a critical level globally and any move to reduce their usage is a positive step. “As a responsible tour operator, we have more responsibility to protect our planet than ever before. At G Adventures, we already encourage all travellers to bring reusable water bottles with them on their trip, and are fortunate that with our office in Quito, it is logistically feasible to provide reusable water bottles to our travellers departing to the Galapagos.
“All our boats in the Galapagos are fitted with filtered water in refillable tanks, and hotels supplying accommodation for our land-based travellers will also offer this service. The Galapagos is one of the eco-friendliest destinations we travel to, and we’re very happy to support them in their continued mission to keep their waters clean.”
G Adventures not only supports the plastics ban in the Galapagos but has a number of initiatives onboard its vessels around the world as part of the Ocean Health Fund initiative which was started in partnership with its non-profit partner, Planeterra.
These initiatives include:
● Filtered water is available onboard the G Expedition ship which visits the polar regions.
● There is no bottled water provided on its Sri Lanka Sailing catamaran - just reusable bottles.
● Toiletries onboard the boats are provided in refillable containers to limit the use of small, one use, plastic containers.
● Plastic straws are not used onboard any vessels.
● Beach clean ups (for both guests and crew) have been organised in Svalbard for the past four years, as well as in Thailand, Cuba and Sri Lanka.
● The G Expedition picks up drifting plastic and fishing lines whenever possible.
● Additionally, G Adventures is a member of the United Nations Environment Programme Clean Seas campaign, which challenges the company to do more to support the health of the ocean.
