Canadian Boating May 2024 - 8

10 WAYS TO BECOME A SUSTAINABLE BOATER
Canadian Boating spoke with a number of individuals in the industry from
researchers, non-profi ts, product specialists, sailors, powerboaters, marina owners,
Blue Flag business operators and more. Here's a list of the top 10 tips recommended
in how to become a more environmentally friendly boater.
1. Dispose of waste responsibly.
Don't dump any type of litter into
the water. Properly secure your
waste onboard until it can be disposed
of responsibly on land. Abide
by a leave-no-trace mindset just
as you would hiking or camping.
Report overfl owing garbage bins by
the water when you see them. And
as the saying goes, Reduce Reuse
Recycle!
2. Maintain your vessel. This is a
very important point, especially
for the older vessels out there. But
no matter how new your boat is,
proper maintenance is key. Any
type of leak can input hydrocarbons
or other oils into the water
which has serious impacts on the
environment.
3. Minimize plastic usage. Avoid
bringing single-use plastic items
onto the water such as plastic
bottles, bags and utensils. There are
countless reusable alternatives to
choose from.
4. Practice better fuel management.
Slowing your wake. Easing
up on the throttles. Avoid idling.
Reducing as much gas and diesel as
you can. Explore hybrid or electric
options and consider E-gasoline
rather than synthetic fuels.
5. Explore eco-friendly opportunities
and alternatives. Examples
of this could be hybrid or electric
motors, sustainable product swaps,
or consider solar panels, wind generators
or water makers.
6. roerly mainain fi shin ear
 fi sh in accordance ih local
laws. Don't take too many fi sh,
especially fi sh that are out of season
or that might be spawning. Avoid
abandoning or losing fi shing lines.
They pose a signifi cant hazard to
marine life and contribute to plastic
pollution. Lines are one of the most
diffi cult pieces to recover and can
remain in the water for 500 years or
more.
7. Be vigilant. Boaters are the eyes
on the water in a way that those of
us on the shoreline aren't. Be aware
of environmental issues going on
around you and act against them
whether it's reporting a problem
or picking up a piece of trash in or
near the water.
8. Support sustainable businesses.
Engage with marinas or
organizations that are certifi ed with
good practices such as Blue Flag.
Encourage your own marina, yacht
club, community or municipality to
get more involved and to adopt
better environmental practices.
9. Get involved & take action.
Spread the word and talk about
it within your local communities.
Find groups and initiatives that are
proactively addressing environmental
issues like nonprofi ts, cleanups
or other local events. Find likeminded
individuals or businesses to
work with. Recognize the collective
responsibility that it takes to make
the marine industry more environmentally
friendly.
10. Embrace sustainability. It can
be overwhelming knowing where
to start. But you don't have to do
it all at once. Start with one small
step and take it from there. Share
what you're doing. The more you
share, the more people will care and
follow your lead. Make sustainability
fun. No matter how small, every
action counts.
8 CANADIAN BOATING | MAY 2024
PRODUCT SWAPS
If you don't know where to start, a
great way to become more sustainable is
swapping out some of your onboard products
for more environmentally friendly
options.
As boaters, we're in direct contact with
the water at all times. Many of the daily
products we use onboard are fi lled with
chemicals. It's not a good mix.
Even if it's starting with one sustainable
product swap, every product matters.
Here are a few ideas:
* Captain Phab: Ecofriendly
marine products
/ captainphab.com
* Hempel: High
Performance Marine
Paint: Silic One (biocide-free
silicon-based)
& Hempaspeed (biocide-free
hard acrylic
based) / hempelyacht.
com/en-us
* Solar Panels: LightLeaf
/ lightleafsolar.com
* North Sails: NPL
RENEW: Sailcloth
constructed from more
than 90% bio-based and
recycled raw materials /
northsails.com
* Mineral-Based Sunscreen: Sun Bum
has reef-friendly options / www.sunbum-ca.com
*
Everyday Item Swaps: Dish soap,
hand soap, laundry detergent, shampoo
North Sails recently launched a sustainability
partnership with Sea Bags to help
divert retired sails from landfi lls to help
the sailing community reduce waste. Even
though sailing has more environmentally
friendly aspects, there are still ways the
sailing industry can be more sustainable.
Beverley Cheng and Adam Brady
Brown moved from their condo in downtown
Toronto onto their 39' Beneteau, Blu.
When asked about their lifestyle changes
from their move, Beverley comments,
" I defi nitely think that when you live on
a sailboat you're much more aware of
the waste that you create. You only have
one garbage and then that garbage sits in
your boat until you have a spot to throw
it out. At home, you're getting Amazon
http://www.captainphab.com http://hempelyacht.com/en-us http://hempelyacht.com/en-us http://www.lightleafsolar.com http://www.northsails.com http://www.sunbum-ca.com http://www.sunbum-ca.com
Canadian Boating May 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Boating May 2024
