60 “The route of the new eco-friendly Aurora Botnia passes through the unique Kvarken archipelago, which is the only UNESCO natural world heritage site in Finland. It connects the coastal cities of Vaasa in Finland and Umeå in Sweden. The travel time is only 3.5-4 hours and there are 2-4 departures per day all year round. On board there are restaurants, lounges, a conference area and a shop. For passengers, the environmental friendliness of Aurora Botnia can be experienced in the silence of the ship. It is also reflected in the ecological choices in the passenger areas: adaptable passenger areas and intelligent lighting as well as the HVAC controls. At low season, some areas can be closed to save on heating, ventilation and lighting. In the cabins the water and lighting are used only when needed. Material selections are all very ecological. In the cafeteria the tables are made of reusable materials, and if needed to be changed the same material is melted down to make the new table. The carpets in the cabins are made of used fishnets. In the engine room, different technical solutions affect the ecological footprint: engines that can be run on different fuels (LNG and biogas), batteries and other intelligent solutions.” – Peter Ståhlberg, Managing Director, Wasaline “At Windstar, we strive to refresh and renew our interior spaces whenever possible. Instead of rushing to the dumpster, we take time to evaluate what can be fixed and incorporated into the new design concept. The US$250 million Star Plus Initiative we recently completed on our three all-suite yachts presented Windstar with a unique opportunity in interior design. Instead of throwing everything out in the process of completely redoing the ship’s interior spaces, we refurbished, fixed and reused items where we could. Luckily, these three yachts – Star Breeze, Star Pride and Star Legend – were constructed with high quality materials in the interior spaces. Instead of throwing things away and buying new items, we sourced a company to repair and renew items. For example, instead of throwing away a marble dresser in a suite due to a cracked top, we found an experienced company to fix the crack so well that it’s no longer visible. The suites are outfitted with whitewashed oak. To preserve it, we sanded, coloured and varnished it to look fresh again. Often these are quality materials that just need a little TLC coupled with somebody on the design team who sees that and values it.” – John Gunner, Vice President, Expansion Projects, Windstar Cruises COMMI TMENT
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