Teams across Disney Cruise Line joined forces to remove nearly two tons of trash from beaches in Florida and in The Bahamas.
In partnership with Keep Brevard Beautiful, Disney Wish crew and shoreside cast members recently picked up trash along Cocoa Beach, near Disney Cruise Line’s homeport in Port Canaveral located on the east coast of Florida.
Sharon Siskie, Disney Cruise Line senior vice president and general manager, pitched in to help the cause, sharing with us that, “It’s great to be out here with our cast and crew members honoring our commitment to the environment. Sharon added that she was proud Disney Cruise Line was part of this worldwide effort to protect our oceans.
Disney Wish entertainment crew member, Katie, said she and her co-workers found everything from plastics and fishing line to soda cans and bottle caps. “Small pieces that, at a glance, you wouldn’t notice but definitely make a huge difference,” she shared. Working aboard the Disney Wish, she visits Port Canaveral often and was inspired to do her part. Katie told us, “It’s one of those places that we spend a lot of our time. It’s a second home, so we want to give back to the community.”
Bryan Bobbitt is the executive director of Keep Brevard Beautiful and has coordinated and attended countless beach cleanups. He shared with us that community partnerships are fundamental to educating the public and creating behavioral change. “Partnerships like this one with Disney Cruise Line are very important to us because we get all of these volunteers to come out and help make a difference in our communities,” Bobbitt shared.
Over in Eleuthera, where work has begun on Disney’s second island destination in The Bahamas, the Lighthouse Point development team came together to help make a difference. They worked alongside members of the community to pick up garbage on the shores of Bannerman Town Beach. Pachancia, an assistant conservation manager with Disney Cruise Line in The Bahamas, joined the cleanup there. She explained why this initiative is critical to the island. “We have a lot of keen species and native and migratory species that rely on our beaches for nesting sites or food, so it means a lot to me for Disney to be part of this and for me to be part of this initiative.” The team removed thousands of pounds of plastics, glass bottles, large ropes and fishing nets from the beach.
Events like these beach clean ups are just one of many ways Disney Cruise Line gives back to local port communities and helps protect the environment. On board, Disney Cruise Line is investing in new technologies that help increase the fleet’s fuel efficiency and minimize waste. The use of liquified natural gas, or LNG, and numerous advances in ship design, make the Disney Wish one of the most fuel and energy-efficient cruise ships on the water. “Today and into the future, we are committed to making a difference in the world around us,” said Siskie.