To mark the christening of the Costa Toscana, Costa Cruises and Ángel León are further strengthening their collaboration, addressing a topic to which both have long been committed: environmental sustainability. In fact, Costa is supporting a pioneering global project through its Foundation: the development of "marine grain.".
The research center at Aponiente Restaurant has begun cultivating Zostera marina (seagrass) in the Bay of Cádiz. Zostera marina is a plant that helps generate greater marine biodiversity, thus enriching the ecosystem. This plant contributes to mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon and, above all, is capable of producing, from its seeds, a "superfood" with great nutritional properties, which could represent a future solution to the problems of hunger and malnutrition.
Thanks to the support of the Costa Cruises Foundation, the cultivated area of the ocean garden, which is currently around 3,000 m2, can be significantly expanded in order to promote the project and export Zostera marina to new coastal areas.
Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises, commented: “According to a recent market study, nearly 14 million Europeans dream of taking a cruise in the next 12 months, and cruises are among the travel options with the greatest potential to satisfy the desire to explore destinations. We must capitalize on this boom to promote more sustainable tourism that respects the environment and values local communities. Our commitment is expressed not only through technologically advanced ships like the Costa Toscana, powered by liquefied natural gas, but also by supporting innovative projects whose reach extends beyond the tourism sector, such as the project by chef Ángel León.”
Costa Toscana is a true “smart city” on wheels. Thanks to the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG), it is possible to almost completely eliminate the emission of sulfur oxides and particulate matter into the atmosphere, while also significantly reducing nitrogen oxide and CO2 emissions. The Costa Group, which includes the Italian brand Costa Cruises and the German brand AIDA Cruises, was the first in the world in the cruise sector to use LNG and currently has four ships powered by this technology: the AIDAnova, the Costa Smeralda, the Costa Toscana, and the AIDACosma.
In addition, the ship features several cutting-edge technological innovations designed to further reduce its environmental impact. All daily water needs are met by desalinating seawater. Energy consumption is minimized through an intelligent energy efficiency system. Furthermore, 100% of the selective collection and recycling of materials such as plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum is carried out on board. The marine wood used to furnish the islands of the new Archipelago restaurant was recovered thanks to the "Guardians of the Coast," the environmental education program to safeguard the Italian coastline promoted by the Costa Cruises Foundation. For every dinner enjoyed at Archipelago, Costa Cruises will donate a portion of the proceeds to support the Foundation's environmental and social projects.
During the summer of 2022, the Costa Toscana offers a one-week itinerary with stops in the Western Mediterranean, including Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Ibiza, Valencia, and Marseille. During the autumn season, Palma de Mallorca will replace Ibiza.
