The Green Blue, the joint environmental initiative of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and British Marine today celebrates 10 years of successfully helping boat users, boating businesses, sailing clubs and training centres reduce their impact on coastal and inland waters to keep them in great shape for now and the future!
The Green Blue, with support from The Crown Estate’s Marine Stewardship Programme, raises environmental awareness and identifies eco-friendly products to make boating in the UK as sustainable as possible. Launched on 18 September 2005, the small Hamble-based team also offers help, guidance and even money saving tips for anyone who wishes to help keep our coasts and inland waters the pleasant places that we enjoy so much.
Speaking at the 10th Anniversary Celebrations as part of the 2015 Southampton Boat Show, The Green Blue Project Manager Jane Swan said: “What a difference a decade makes! It only seems like yesterday that global yachtsman Mike Golding and artist Pippa Blake were launching The Green Blue and in 2015 it’s amazing to think that the project is now celebrating its tenth anniversary.
“Of course, awareness of environmental issues has increased over the past decade, so to some extent we have been able to capitalise on new generations of boaters who have grown up with a more willing understanding and acceptance of how important simple changes are, from turning off taps and switching appliances off standby to recycling and upcycling.
“But if you take a look around most sailing clubs and marinas today, it’s clear that the boating sector has really taken to environmental change. You’ll find LED lighting along pontoons, smart meters, waste management facilities with different receptacles for every type of boat waste, solar panels visible on many marina office roofs and yacht decks, on board wind turbines, hybrid engines, inline bilge filters and even electric car charging points in marina car parks.”
The RYA and British Marine were joined at the 10th anniversary celebrations by key project supporters, working partners, and a number of marine sector organisations that have championed sustainable boating and helped to promote the success of The Green Blue over the past decade – such as Sunsail, Powerboat P1, and Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). Guests also included The Green Blue ambassadors Lady Pippa Blake and Mike Golding OBE.
But there is still more work to be done to protect the future sustainability of our marine ecosystem. By working towards an environmentally self-regulating boating community, The Green Blue aims to make efficiency savings, avoid red tape, help boaters and boating businesses minimise their impact on the environment, and safeguard the waters and habitats we enjoy and rely on for the future.
Making the environment second nature has not been a quick fix but rather a voyage of small but meaningful transformations. A decade on and it’s exciting to think how much has been achieved and what further changes might be possible by 2025!
You can meet the team and find out more about The Green Blue’s incredible journey at www.thegreenblue.org.uk or to find out more about sustainable boating call 023 8060 4273 or email [email protected].