7 Innovative Ways Marinas and Ports Are Going Green
Boaters aren’t alone in being better environmental stewards. Hardly a week goes by without a boat builder, engine manufacturer, or other marine company announcing a sustainability initiative. While plenty of companies have a sustainability initiative, including Boatsetter’s #MindYourWake, how can you see the impact with your own eyes? Well, here are seven innovative ways marinas and ports are going green, each easy for you to see:
- Providing abundant recycling bins
- Supporting ocean conservation and preservation
- Cleaning and clearing debris from the water
- Participating in clean marina programs
- Enacting spill-containment measures
- Containing wash-down debris
- Sharing sustainability reports
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1. Providing abundant recycling bins
Recycling plastic and glass has been in practice in our daily lives for years. Your favorite destinations should have clearly marked bins, plus signs throughout the property encouraging fellow boaters to be responsible.
2. Supporting ocean conservation and preservation organizations
Many marinas and ports are committed to ocean-oriented non-profits. They range from high-profile organizations like the Blue Marine Foundation and 4Ocean to smaller ones like the International SeaKeepers Society. Regardless, they’re raising awareness among visitors like you, expecting you to educate yourself better.
3. Cleaning and clearing debris from the water
Progressively, marinas and ports are going green with the help of Seabin. Seabin supplies small trash-can-like devices that float near docks, filtering water and trapping plastics and other garbage. Boaters in Los Angeles know sustainability impact firsthand. In over four months in 2022, Seabin helped capture 2.1 tons of marine litter, making LA waters look fresh and pristine.
Photo Courtesy of the Seabin Project.
4. Participating in clean marina programs
For decades, coastal and Great Lakes states have had their clean boating—a.k.a. clean marina—programs. The International Council of Marine Industry Associations and the Association of Marina Industries, trade groups to which many marinas belong, have them, too.
While voluntary, these certification programs set rules and best management practices for operating an environmentally responsible facility. Certification means the state and other environmental officials have examined everything to ensure proper compliance.
READ MORE: How to Navigate a Boat in Marine Protected Areas
5. Enacting spill-containment measures
The last thing you should see at a marina fuel dock is an oily sheen, or someone using detergent to disperse it. No need to wag your finger at that property, but do ask the staff at any marina what procedures are in place in case of an errant spill. They might also have signs posted giving boaters like you instructions, too.
6. Containing wash-down debris
Since some marinas offer service work, they are extra focused on keeping the wrong things from entering the local waters. For instance, properly minded facilities have measures in place to contain wash-down water. Some even have dedicated sheds or cement-surfaced areas with equipment to capture runoff water and airborne particles.
7. Sharing sustainability reports on their websites
Claiming to take environmental protection seriously is one thing. Putting it in black and white for the world to see—and regularly check—is another.
Increasingly, marinas and ports are posting sustainability reports directly on their websites! To find sustainability reports, enter their website, find the search bar, then type in “Sustainability” or “Sustainability Report.” It should come up.
These tips will help determine if your favorite docking and anchoring areas are similarly minded. Recreational boating can do good for you and the planet. Check out more green boating resources and browse through our fleet of electric boat rentals.
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Boatsetter is a unique boat-sharing platform that gives everyone — whether you own a boat or you’re just renting — the chance to experience life on the water. You can list a boat, book a boat, or make money as a captain.
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A journalist with more than 30 years’ experience, Diane M. Byrne is the owner
of MegayachtNews.com, a daily website educating American superyacht owners, buyers, and
their circles of influence about the leading builders, designers, cruising destinations, and more.
She founded the website in 2007 as the first, and still the only, American-focused online media
outlet exclusively covering this market. It features all-original content, for real stories of real
interest.
Diane is additionally one of the most-sought-after journalists for expert editorial coverage and
commentary about not only superyachts, but also general boating and yachting. Her byline
appears in Boatsetter.com, DiscoverBoating.com, and the magazines Luxury Guide, Ocean,
Yachting, and Yachts International.
Additionally, Diane is the Chair of the U.S. Superyacht Association, having been on the Board of
Directors since 2015. Outside of yachting, she’s a trustee of Sempre Avanti, a non-profit
resource supporting Italian and Italian-American individuals, businesses, and organizations in the
United States and Italy.
