Tackling Global Warming in the Cruise Ship Industry

To Whom It May Concern:

We came across this information in the trades and thought it would be of
interest to this newsgroup as well.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker, SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at (800) 724-6644 & (pagoo ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com



Sustainable Travel International Challenges Cruise Lines to Address Climate
Change

Boulder, CO (August 30, 2006) - The travel and tourism industry is catching
on quickly about how to neutralize its own global warming related impacts
from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One industry, however, has remained
relatively silent, so much so that Boulder, CO based non-profit Sustainable
Travel International (STI) recently challenged it! to answer the question,
"Where does the cruise ship industry stand on the issue of global climate
change?"

"Cruise line industry operations are one of the biggest contributors to
global warming related GHG emissions within the travel and tourism industry"
explains STI Vice President Peter D. Krahenbuhl, "and ironically, this will
impact the very places they depend on for business, particularly low-lying
islands and coastal destinations." The rapid expansion of the cruise ship
industry has triggered a public outcry for the industry to address its
pollution-related impacts, as environmental laws have not kept pace with
industry growth. "Some cruise lines are beginning to improve environmental
performance through technology and improved management systems, but none of
the major cruise lines have opted to support voluntary carbon offset
initiatives," Krahenbu! concludes.

One expedition cruise company, however, has stepped up to STI's challenge.
Adventure Smith Explorations offers expedition cruises and wilderness
adventures in a pioneering approach that utilizes small ships and yachts to
explore nature and wildlife up close. The company is the first North
American-based small cruise ship operator to offset it passengers' fuel
consumption related emissions through STI and MyClimate. The company is also
working toward implementing a system wide program focused on educating its
guests about global warming and related impacts on the regions they visit,
including offering a custom on-line calculator that STI has pioneered for
the tourism industry.

"The number of inquiries we receive from conscientious consumers interested
in traveling by boat is on the increase, as more and more people become
interested in minimizing their air travel and other travel-related climate
impacts," adds Brian T. Mullis, STI's President. "Unfortunately, we haven't
had a company to refer them to until now. Fortunately, we are working with
other cruise ship companies to calculate their GHG emissions, but it remains
to be seen which major cruise ship company will be the first to go truly
green, and reap the benefits of doing so."

For further information on Sustainable Travel International and MyClimate,
visit www.my-climate.com .

About MyClimate
The MyClimate foundation is one of the leading providers of high-quality
carbon offset certificates for climate neutral business and leisure travel,
conferences and events, home and office energy consumption and the like.
MyClimate projects are developed in accordance with procedures, criteria and
methodologies from the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto
protocol and the criteria! of the Gold Standard. Projects are inspected,
verified and certified by independent, third-party organizations. Depending
on the project size and type, bygone validation have taken place either
through UNFCCC-accredited certification institutes (Designated ! Operatio
nal Entities) such as the SGS, TÜV and DNV or by a board of experts from
Swiss universities, which have assessed the very small projects in the past.

About Sustainable Travel International
STI is the North American distributor of MyClimate, and promotes sustainable
development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help
travelers, travel-related companies and destinations protect the places they
visit, the places they call home, and the planet at large.