If making eco-conscious choices has become a habit at home, why not continue it while cruising the islands? We asked Hilary Kouton, the social impact director for Sailors for theSea, what easy tips she could recommend to lessen the environmental impact of your next sailing vacation.

Bring Reusable Bags

and Water Bottles Reusable shopping bags are handy to have along, and make carrying your provisions back to the boat much easier. When not in use, they’re small and easy to pack in your luggage. Encourage each member of your crew to bring a water bottle (and refill it regularly), which will reduce waste aboard and help everyone stay hydrated.

Choose Your Sunscreen Wisely

Oxybenzone, a common sunscreen ingredient, is harmful to coral. Protect the reefs and your skin by choosing a sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the main ingredient. For a list of reef-safe sunblock, visit www.ewg.org/sunscreen.

Moor More

Anchors can wreak havoc on fragile sea-grass beds and coral. When you’re choosing a place to settle in, take a mooring when available. If you must anchor, try to set it in sand, where you can see the bottom.

Reduce Packaging

Trash can be tough to store aboard, and disposing of it is a big challenge in remote locations. Lessen your trash burden by choosing items with minimal packaging while provisioning. Buy in bulk when possible, and purchase water and soft drinks in larger bottles and jugs.

Buy Local

Trying new foods, especially local fruits and vegetables, is a highlight of your charter vacation. Check out the produce selection at a market or farm stand (don’t forget your shopping bags) and you’ll support the local economy while reducing your carbon footprint. Sunsail’s base in the British Virgin Islands makes this even easier by offering a farm box full of organic local produce as part of its provisioning options.

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Sailors for the Sea, the leading conservation organization that engages, educates, inspires and activates the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean, is proud to have been named an Environmental Innovator of the Year by the Green Sports Alliance.

The Green Sports Alliance presented their annual Environmental Leadership Award and Environmental Innovators of the Year Awards, the highlight of their annual Green Sports Celebration on Wednesday, June 28th at the Green Sports Alliance Summit in Sacramento, CA. The awards, now in their sixth year, recognize and celebrate the best in sports and sustainability. Both individuals and organizations are eligible for this highly competitive award and this year’s winners represent a wide variety of sports at the collegiate and professional level, as well as suppliers and vendors.

“Our oceans are linked to everything from climate influence to health and wellness. Ocean health is critical for our planet and sailors are one of the most affected groups working to protect and conserve. Sailors for the Sea’s Clean Regattas certification program educates sailors and spectators to make a positive environmental impact on the world’s oceans. The Green Sports Alliance is proud to award this organization and program with our 2017 Environmental Innovator of the Year Award for making a lasting impact at over 1,097 sailing events and engaging more than 397,000 individuals in sustainability efforts and educational programs,” said Justin Zeulner, Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance.

Sailors for the Sea’s Clean Regattas program, the world’s only sustainability certification for water-based events is now in its 11th year, and is compromised of 25 best practices to help event managers easily implement sustainability. It is a hybrid model of sustainability based on the ISO 20121 standard for Event Sustainability Management; the ISO 14000 standard for Environmental Management; and the Global Reporting Index (GRI) Event Organizers Sustainability Guidelines. In 2016 1,472 Clean Regattas Best Practices were utilized to reduce environmental impact at 216 events in 32 US States and 31 countries and territories.

“We are honored to receive this recognition and to be included amongst the other impressive award winners,” noted R. Mark Davis, President of Sailors for the Sea. “We are proud to work with an amazing community and the Clean Regattas program would not be possible without the hundreds of volunteers that bring the program to life and implement our sustainability initiatives.”

Sailors for the Sea also recently announced the launch of their corporate sponsorship and engagement program. With many companies showing a growing interest in protecting the ocean, this new program offers increased visibility within the sailing and boating community. It also provides the necessary funding for Sailors for the Sea, a nonprofit organization, to support their mission driven, high impact programs and initiatives.

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BUT don’t get overwhelmed by the statistics. There is a way you can help fix this mess.

Marine debris impacts sailing more than any other sport. It destroys our playground, interrupts our racecourse, and kills marine life.

How can we stop 8 million tons of plastic from getting to the ocean?

It won’t be easy, but nothing in life worth doing is. One thing we know for certain – we need to stop plastic pollution at the source. Of the top 10 items found globally on beaches during the International Coastal Cleanup, 8 are plastic and are all single-use items likely only needed for a few seconds. This includes plastic beverage bottles, straws, bottle caps, grocery bags and food wrappers. If plastic is made to last forever, why do we use it to make items that are only needed for a few minutes. Along with switching to reusable items at your home and on your boat, we can join forces to work with our sailing clubs, local governments and even our favorite watering holes to get them to follow suit. The ocean needs leaders like you to stand up against plastic pollution.

Take action now – so we can get back to sailing!

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