Clean Cruising is the world's first cruise agency to offer carbon neutral cruising at no extra cost. Australian cruise passengers can now cruise in style and do their bit for the environment at the same time. We've provided an overview of how it all works and you can always give us a call with any questions, or email us with your feedback!

How does it work?

1. Book your perfect cruise with one of our cruise specialists at our best rates.
2. We calculate how many trees need to be planted to absorb the greenhouse gas emissions for your cruise.
3. We sponsor Carbon Neutral to plant these Australian native trees on your behalf at no extra cost.
4. You receive a certificate to verify how many trees will be planted on your behalf.

We love cruising and are excited to offer Australian cruise passengers a clean choice for the first time.

How are greenhouse gas emissions calculated?

The first step is calculating the distance of a particular cruise route. We use our proprietary mapping technology to arrive at a distance that we believe is accurate to within 5%. The second step is determining the amount of greenhouse gas emissions each passenger is responsible for, based on a typical cruise vessel in reasonable weather. Research from both cruise lines and independent consultants have been used to provide us with a figure of 0.32kg of greenhouse gas emissions per passenger per kilometer. This information lets us make what we believe is a reasonable estimate for each cruise itinerary.

Example: a typical 10 night South Pacific cruise generates approximately 1.8 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per passenger which can be offset by planting 8 Australian native trees.

How are the emissions offset?

Following considerable research, we decided to work with Carbon Neutral, a leading non-profit organisation that has planted over 30 million native trees in Australia over the past 27 years. Each tree Carbon Neutral plants on your behalf will absorb about 230kg of CO² over the next 30 years. Other supporters of Carbon Neutral include the Government of WA State Car Fleet, University of WA and Pilbara Iron Company. Visit their website to learn more about their programs or to lend support.

How do I know the trees get planted?

Carbon Neutral operate an independently verified program that ensures trees are planted. You will even receive a certificate confirming how many trees will be planted on your behalf - view a PDF sample here!

There's no extra cost, is there a catch?

Not at all! Rather than charge an additional levy, we decided to sponsor the tree planting ourselves as a way of saying thanks for choosing us for your cruise reservation. Climate change is an issue that requires new and innovative solutions, and we're pleased to offer Australian cruise passengers with a clean choice for the first time.

Where did the idea come from?

We've been exploring ways to offer our clients sustainable travel solutions for the past 12 months. We'd just started developing a dedicated cruise website and looked at ways to provide a green solution. Fortunately our prior experience with Google mapping technology allowed us to calculate cruise route distances with some degree of accuracy.

Where do cruise lines fit into this program?

The cruise industry is already taking lots of measures to reduce the environmental impact of cruising, such as plugging into green electricity while in port, to research into using giant parasails to tap into good old fashioned wind power. However climate change is an issue that requires new and innovative solutions, and we saw no reason for us not to get involved at the agency level. Airlines and car rental companies have explored different green initiatives and I expect we'll continue to see cruise lines introduce new programs that benefit both the environment and the travelling public. This could only be good for the cruise industry.

Who is Clean Cruising?

Clean Cruising is operated by GlobeNet Travel, a Brisbane based online travel agency that was voted runner-up for Luxury Travel Agent in 2006 by the readers of Luxury Travel Magazine. We are members or accredited with AFTA, Travelscene American Express and the International Cruise Council of Australia with whom we were a finalist for New Agency of the Year 2006. Our team of Cruise Specialists look forward to providing prompt advice to ensure you have a terrific cruise!