Disney News

Each year, millions of children worldwide die from hygiene-related illnesses because the essential items for proper hand washing are unobtainable to them. It is estimated that every 10 seconds a child dies from these types of illnesses – all preventable by just a single bar of soap!

An Orlando-based nonprofit organization, The Clean the World® Foundation, aims to stop these needless deaths from occurring by recycling used soap and shampoo and distributing them around the world to those living in poverty. With Walt Disney World® Resort’s 24 resort hotels located in central Florida, they play a key role in helping Clean the World® reach their goal. But it doesn’t end there – resort hotels at Disneyland® Resort in California as well as Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, also recycle hygiene products with Clean the World®.

“Disney’s commitment to environmental sustainability permeates throughout the entire company. They are literally turning trash into treasure through Clean the World®, and that benefits the global community by creating a cleaner world” said Shawn Seipler, executive director of Clean the World®.

From Jan. – Sep. of 2010, Disney cast members collected more than 25,000 pounds of partially-used soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions from the nearly 28,000 hotel rooms on Walt Disney World® Resort property! This collection not only allows the cast members and guests to clean the world, but it repurposes something that was headed to the landfill.

After the discarded amenities are sanitized, Clean the World® distributes the items to people in need as part of their ongoing efforts to improve health and personal hygiene in impoverished areas worldwide. Some of these products are even donated to shelters and various organizations throughout the United States.

So next time you use that bar of soap in your resort room, smile knowing that it will soon be saving lives!

Disney Cruise Line® is dedicated to minimizing their impact on the environment through efforts focused on utilizing new technologies, increasing fuel efficiency, minimizing waste and promoting conservation worldwide.

Several recent key environmental accomplishments for Disney Cruise Line® include:

• Dedicated Environmental Officers on all 4 of Disney’s ships. They are ranked among the most senior leaders aboard the fleet and have previous maritime experience and specialized training in environmental regulations and systems
• An innovative hull coating that is both 100% nontoxic and effective in increasing fuel efficiency at sea
• Shipboard recycling processes that eliminate more than 405 tons of recyclables, including metals, plastics and paper, from traditional waste streams annually
• Annual shore cleanups by cast and crew members who have prevented more than 33,000 pounds of trash and debris from entering waterways

Disney Cruise Line® has completed a fleetwide installation of state-of-the-art Advanced Wastewater Purification Systems (AWPS). The systems feature a combination of advanced technology and natural processes to treat and purify shipboard wastewater to levels that exceed international shipping requriements.

Partnering with leading designers and builders, Disney Cruise Line® incorporated sustainability and eco-friendly building methods from the initial design state of the Disney Dream™ and the Disney Fantasy™ cruise ships.

Innovative technologies and design features, including structural elements that improve the ship’s hydrodynamics, an industry-first, inward-turning propeller and innovative twisted flap rudder installation, were incorporated to reduce demands on propulsion systems and increase energy efficiency. Onboard elements, including LED lights that self adjust to natural light levels and an industry-first energy management system, automate the use of electricity and air-conditioning in guest staterooms, public areas and even crew spaced to increase efficiency throughout the ship.

These are just a few of the changes Disney Cruise Line® has made to make your “floating home at sea” a little more environmentally friendly!

With Earth Day only a week away, we are going to showcase some of the way Disney Parks focuses on the environment.

Walt Disney expressed his commitment to the conservation of natural resources more than 60 years ago and the Disneyland® Resort continuously looks for ways to make their daily operations more environmentally friendly.

Check out this video to see some of the ways in which Disneyland® Resort “goes GREEN!”.

A celebration is in order at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park on April 22nd. Not only is it Earth Day, but the park will celebrate its 14th birthday!

Since 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park has told its guests a story about conservation each and every day of its operation. During this years Party for the Planet celebration on Earth Day, guests will find out what they can do to make their backyards wildlife-friendly as well as discover other ways to conserve wildlife and protect nature.

Special Earth Day activities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park include:

• In Asia at Maharajah Jungle Trek, families can play a supermarket game and learn how their purchases can make a big difference for wildlife and wild places.
• At Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Africa, children can observe and identify chimpanzee tracks and clues left behind along trails as they move through the forest.
• At Rafiki’s Planet Watch, guests will discover fun ways to spend time in nature with their families as well as face painters and caricature artists. Families can also visit the Chimpanzee Research Station and participate in a variety of activities based on real conservation work.

Even if you don’t get to experience one of the special Earth Day activities, be sure to check out the sand sculpture outside of the park entrance celebrating the release of “Chimpanzee’, Disneynature’s newest True Life Adventure film!

As a guest staying in a Walt Disney World® Resort Hotel, you’re entitled to remarkable benefits like Extra Magic Hours, Disney’s Magical Express, Disney’s Complimentary Onsite Transportation, Disney Dining Plan – and more magic all around.

But the parks aren’t the only place to have fun at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Aside from these widely known benefits, there are a few “hidden” activities happening at your resort that you can take advantage of! Check with the Cast Members at the front desk of your resort to find out what activities are available during your next stay.

Test Track®, one of Epcot’s® most popular attractions, will close this Monday, April 16th, for refurbishment. When it reopens again in the fall, it will present guests with a whole new experience!

The re-imagining of the attraction will change the current testing lab queue area into a new “Chevrolet Design Center” allowing guests to become automotive designers. After creating their own custom concept vehicle, guests buckle in to one of the 6-person Test Track® ”SimCars” and try out their customized vehicle on the Test Track® circuit. After experiencing the hills, switchbacks and straight-aways of the circuit, guests will receive scores in the post-show area grading the performance of their concept vehicles. Even though the vehicles are called “SimCars,” the attraction will remain a ride like it is today – it will not be a simulator experience.

A reopening date has not been announced.