This coming year make some new resolutions and do your part to help protect our environment and oceans. Simple changes in daily routines followed throughout the year can make a big difference. Many changes may even save money as well as helping the environment. This list of simple suggestions can be incorporated...

into your personal life as well as for crew onboard yachts.

   The best answers are usually very simple. Environmental problems are caused by billions of small, careless actions that can be easily replaced by thoughtful measures. We welcome your suggestions in our comments box below to add to ours.

1 – REUSE and RECYCLE

•    Use reusable shopping bags when shopping for anything. There are many durable types of bags available from the grocery stores or online. Some are even washable or insulated. This will avoid plagues like the Great pacfic Garbage patch. When shopping, look for products with recycled packaging. Buying recycled closes the cycle by putting resources back into use.

•    Recycle your old t-shirts for rags and donate your old clothes to your local charity.

•    Onboard – take those extra steps to find the recycle bin in any facility or port you may be visiting. Ask the dockmaster or port captain what their recycling program is. You may be surprised that they actually do recycle but the bins are out of sight somewhere on the property. More and more facilities are obligated to have recycling of some sort.
 

2 – REDUCE YOUR WASTE

•    Buy fewer disposable items. Look for long-lasting goods that won’t have to be replaced as often.  You’ll reduce waste and save landfill space.

•    Buy locally made and grown products. They usually require less packaging and eliminate the environmental costs of long-distance transport. The added bonus is that local fruits and vegetables are often fresher, and locally produced goods help support the local community.

•    Onboard – try using collapsible or reusable bins for provisioning and supplying and bring them with you when shopping. This will eliminate a great deal of cardboard, styrofoam and other packaging that makes its way back to the yacht for you to have to dispose of.

3 – USE A SPORTS BOTTLE FOR WATER

•    Stop purchasing prepackaged water bottles and get yourself a reusable sports bottle. Most yachts have some of the best water filtration systems onboard and the tap water is often great for drinking.(see details on filtrations systems here) If in doubt. Test the tap water quality onboard for its quality. It is easy to do. This is a huge cost saver for the yacht as well and they look so good when you costumize them!

4 – BE ENERGY EFFICIENT

•     Turn off the lights every time you leave a room or cabin area that need not have the lights on continually. Limit the exterior lights that remain on as long as the walking area lights remain lit for safety reasons as needed. Lights use a lot of energy and create a lot of heat. Led Light or solar powered ones are a good altenative.

•    Turn air-conditioning thormostadt temps up or off in areas of your home or yacht that are not being occupied. Keeping an area air-conditioned to lower moisture in those areas does not mean it has to be very cold, just enough to keep the air moving and moisture down.

5 – BUY GREEN

•    Switch to using environmentally friendly cleaning products. You will be amazed how well some of these products clean and many cost no more than what you have traditionally been using. Use refiller to save space and plastic or use some of our chemical free alternatives.

•    Switch to soap free commercial laundry soaps (eco-balls) and avoid doing very small loads of laundry if possible.

•    Onboard – Use bio remediation natural enzyme cleansers for any oil spills both on deck, in the engine room and for any ocean spills and keep them very easily accessible for emergency use. Have this natural enzyme in your SOPEP kit in some form as well.
 

6 – SPECIAL CARE FOR SPECIAL  WASTE

•    Onboard – Dispose of any oil and chemical waste in a manner that is required by the port or facility you are visiting. Many facilities have strict rules in disposal of this kind of waste.

•    Onboard – Collect and dispose of varnish dust and paint chips. Expecially avoid that they enter the sea.

•    Onboard – Practice collapsing and condensing your garbage to keep it stowed onboard until you find a proper facility to dispose of it all.

7 – BE PROACTIVE NOT REACTIVE

•    Proactivity means analyzing your onboard procedures and optimize them in order to avoid problems and possible fines in the future.

•    Participate in environmental cleanup events in your area or join many of our Act Now activities.

•    Share these ideas and any ideas you may have with your friends and family.

8 – PRACTICE MAINTANANCE AND AVOID SPILLS

•    A well maintaned yacht can prevent pollution. Special care must be taken to keep your bilges clean.

•    Practice safe procedure for fueling to avoid spills (no more than 90% tank capacity, Fill portable tanks ashore, use preventive equipment)

9/10 – SUGGEST YOUR OWN RESOLUTION BELOW!

•    AN LET THE "GREEN" YACHTING REVOLUTION BEGIN!