Galapagos tour cruise company Ecoventura aims to be 100% free of fossil fuels by 2015

Ecoventura, a small cruise and tour vessel company based out of the Galapagos, is pledging to be rid of fossil fuels in their operations by the year 2015. The company, which has offset a total of over 4000 tons of carbon this year, is already the first carbon-neutral operation in Galapagos as well as Ecuador.

For almost 3 years now, Ecoventura has worked to reduce and offset its carbon emissions from its four tour yachts, as well as corporate offices and business operations, through a partnership with climate solutions provider NativEnergy .

“While the 4,031 tons offset this year is actually a 10 percent decrease over the same period last year, that’s a good thing.” says Santiago Dunn, president and owner of Ecoventura. “It shows that we have been successful in reducing our overall energy use.”

The company owns and operates the first hybrid energy tour boat in the Galapagos, equipped with 40 solar panels and two wind turbines on the upper deck. Ecoventura hopes to equip the enitre fleet similarly by 2011.

Meanwhile, the company’s partnership with NativEnergy actually allows travelers to Ecoventura tours to offset their entire itineraries, to and from the actual tour destination.

Greening Galapagos tourism

The Galapagos has been experiencing a surge in tourism due to its natural beauty and abundant wildlife resources in recent years. This increase is both beneficial and detrimental; as increased visitors bring more and more economic vitality to the region, they also bring heavy foot traffic and leave a rather large "footprint" on the island’s native ecosystems. Previously that is marked as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations, the Galapagos represents one of the most delicate ecosystems in the world.

The Ecuadoran government, which has recently turned to alternative energy resources like wind and solar power, has joined several global aid organizations and businesses in an effort to support the region’s protection and help meet the 2015 goals.