The Green Blue is not just for the coast
AS IF to answer the wishes of some in the waterways community, the Green Blue environmental programme, created by the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine to promote the sustainable use of coastal and inland waters by recreational boating, has recently been involved in the launch of a number of new initiatives including the Clean Marina.
The programme was officially launched at this year’s Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) by The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) to help marinas implement best practices when undertaking a wide range of boat- related services, boat washdown and the best ways to deal with hazardous waste.
Emphasis is also on the use of sustainable products and preventing plastic pollution, something of major importance in all locations. The Clean Marina programme began in Australia, but the recent event saw it expand into the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
THYA has also developed a Clean Marina accreditation standard which it has recently been piloting with the Boatfolk group. This pilot led to the presentation of three Clean Marina accreditations at the launch event.
In addition to Clean Marina, the Green Blue was also involved in the launch of the Single-Use Plastic Free Accreditation, a joint project with the Final Straw Foundation, a registered UK charity that works with local communities and businesses to highlight the impact of plastic pollution on our environment.
In doing so, the foundation also tries to help businesses and organisations minimise the amount of plastic entering our local seas and oceans.
The Final Straw Foundation accreditation is available to marinas in both coastal and inland locations and has three levels of certification: bronze, silver and gold. Each level is determined by each organisation’s dedication to eliminating single-use plastic items from its activities. These can include the removal of plastic cutlery, sustainable toilet rolls and eco-friendly cleaning products.
Shortly after SIBS, The Yacht Harbour Association held a joint meeting at Overwater and Aqueduct Marina to discuss a wide range of topics, including the move to electric boating, alternative fuels and low carbon propulsion. In addition, they looked at how Clean Marina and Gold Anchor schemes can help focus attention on environmental issues.
In all, around 20 marina professionals attended the event, which took place at both Overwater and Aqueduct marinas in Cheshire.
After the event, Robert Parton, MD of Aqueduct Marina, said: “The Clean Marina and Green Blue initiatives help marina operators implement best practice. British Marine and the RYA (sponsors of The Green Blue) are doing a lot of good work and are fortunate to have professionals like Kate Fortnam to help drive the process.”
He went on to say that although the Clean Marina pilot took place at coastal locations, it is hoped that a similar pilot will take place at Aqueduct and Overwater marinas in the near future.
Although the Green Blue website may not have had a lot of content for waterways users to begin with, it would now seem to be growing and expanding to cover all sectors. Much the same could be said of the environmental awareness of the majority of the public and businesses over recent years.
Thankfully this is hopefully a thing of the past as the importance of environmental issues resonates with everyone. It is also good to see that the Green Blue is looking to increase its activities within the waterways sector.