It must be pretty damaging for any industry’s reputation to be labeled Dinosaur of the Year. And that’s what the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) has called the cruise ship industry. NABU, which is based in Germany, singled out cruise lines AIDA and TUI to get their yearly trophy, which goes to people or companies with “the most ridiculous statement or anachronistic decision in connection with Nature and the Environment.”

According to NABU, cruise ships emit particle pollution that equals the amount released by five million cars driving the same distance as the cruise ship tears through the ocean. The organization said the luxury cruise ship industry has made no investments to move away from heavy fossil fuel oil or to install filters to reduce the pollution they dump into the oceans. It added that the 15 largest cruise ships emit as much sulfur dioxide pollution annually as all 760 million cars in the world. Not much glamour or luxury in that, is there?

Figures revealed by environmental NGO Friends of the Earth are alarming. A large cruise ship on a one week voyage is estimated to generate:

210,000 gallons of human sewage,
1 million gallons of gray water (water from sinks, baths, showers, laundry, and galleys),
25,000 gallons of oily bilge water,
Up to 11,550 gallons of sewage sludge, and
More than 130 gallons of hazardous wastes.

The NGO says most of this waste is dumped directly into the ocean, treated or not. Luxury liners also spew a range of pollutants into the air that can lead to acid rain and contribute to global warming. On top of all that, they can spread invasive species by dumping untreated ballast water in coastal zones.

To add to the problem, as more people pursue traveling as a leisure activity, the number of cruise ships in U.S. waters, as well as across the seven seas, has triggered a cruise ship pollution crisis. FoE says environmental laws have not kept pace with the industry’s growth, which reaches pristine waters, leaving a rotten track in its trail.

Back in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to respond to a petition filed by 53 groups and issued a draft report assessing discharges from cruise ships. “Now that EPA has finally agreed to release this report, the public must submit comments compelling the EPA to regulate these floating cities and protect the very places people are paying to visit,” Teri Shore of Friends of the Earth said at the time.

The EPA draft report found that cruise ship discharges contain concentrations of bacteria, chlorine, nutrients, metals and other pollutants that often far exceed federal effluent and water quality standards and are harmful to human health and the marine environment. The report estimated that cruise ships produce an average of 21,000 gallons per day of sewage and 170,000 gallons per day of raw graywater that can contain as much bacteria as sewage. Large volumes of highly concentrated sewage sludge are also routinely dumped overboard. The report found that even the Advanced Wastewater Treatment systems required in Alaska were far from perfect.

At a time when the health of our oceans is seriously threatened, it is distressing to see an industry turning its back on sustainability. Consumers have a role to play by refusing to participate in this vandalization of the oceans.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, appearing courtesy Justmeans and 3BL Media.

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You know the song: “Rain, rain, go away/Come again some other day.”

Heavy rain in places with older sewer systems (Michigan and elsewhere), often results in combined sewage overflows. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And the solution doesn’t have to cost billions of dollars.

First off, combined sewage systems are problematic because they take in sanitary sewage (toilet) in the same pipes as stormwater runoff (manhole). When it rains, water that runs off of impervious surfaces like rooftops and parking lots can overwhelm combined systems.

Combined systems use retention basins to hold excess flow during storm events. The idea is that wastewater treatment plant operators may be able to pump the basin contents back to the plant, so the dirty water can be fully treated.

But sometimes they can’t keep up, which undoubtedly happened recently in areas of Michigan, which saw 2+ inches of rain during the weekend of April 24-26, 2009.

Which brings us to a solution: Green infrastructure. When areas are developed, they can lose their natural capacity to drain water during storms. But building with drainage in mind can help alleviate the problem.

The idea is to treat the stormwater runoff BEFORE it enters the sewer system. Newer sewage systems, by the way, are separated, with sanitary and stormwater flowing in separate pipes. While that can eliminate overflows, it means the stormwater is sometimes not treated at all before it’s discharged to a waterway.

Examples of green infrastructure include green roofs, rain gardens and permeable pavement, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These practices can start on a small scale, in neighborhoods, and be expanded to watersheds.

Not only does green infrastructure reduce water pollution, it can help sequester carbon dioxide, improve air quality and provide wildlife habitat.

A 2007 evaluation of 17 case studies throughout the United States found that green infrastructure, also called low impact development, can cost more upfront. But savings of up to 80 percent can be realized due to reduced costs for site grading and prep, stormwater infrastructure, site paving and landscaping.

And what price can you put on public health?

Courtesy City of Bloomington, Ind.

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