I just had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Solstice. It was great to be pampered for a week, enjoy delicious food, and get some sun in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Maarten! The best part was meeting the ship’s environmental officer, James Mitchell. He attended the Maritime Academy in Boston and is attending Harvard for graduate school, but takes a few months off at a time to serve as the coordinator of the Solstice’s environmental programs. He ensures compliance with environmental regulations regarding waste disposal, and educates guests about the green features of the ship, including 280 solar films over the solarium pool, which produce enough electricity to power the constantly running elevator up and down 14 decks. The ship was designed with a special hull coated with silicone paint to reduce drag, and the ship is outfitted with LED lights throughout. These efforts have resulted in a 2-4% savings, which adds up to thousands of dollars considering the large amount of fuel used to propel the ship (63,000 gallons of diesel per day!). The ship even featured a permanent environmental exhibit. It was great to learn that each ship in the Royal Caribbean line (which owns Celebrity) now is staffed by an environmental officer.