“Stay Green to Enjoy the Blue”
Respecting Your Environment
The Marine Ecosystem is a fragile environment, requiring care and attention from all, especially those that interact with it directly.
Being fortunate enough to enjoy the natural wonders of the Open Seas, Rivers, Lakes and other Inland Waterways, means that, as boat owners or marinas, we have a responsibility to maintaining a healthy balance. Avoiding pollution through "Green Boating" should be one of our priorities, to ensure that we minimise our effect on nature.
Where harsh cleaning products used in our homes are sometimes necessary, most of the harmful effects are removed through processing plants, using a variety of complex and expensive methods, to avoid contamination of the watercourse.
Although a small amount of detergent from your galley sink or a little bleach in your heads, then emptied into the rivers or sea might not seem to be a big issue, consider how many other watercraft users are probably doing the same. The ecosystem takes time to overcome the effects of human interference, and sometimes it never really recovers fully. Simply sending it overboard or out through seacocks and skin fittings doesn't mean the problem has gone, for the marine life, this is just the start of their struggle.
So how can you reduce our effects?
Well, no one is expecting you not to go to sea, after all, humans have been doing this for almost ever. But having a sympathetic approach and employing some common sense in how you conduct your time interacting with the marine life around you, will go a long way to improving or at least sustaining an increasingly challenged environment:
Take home what you don't use or that which is now waste. Our land-based waste management systems have come a long way over the last few hundred years and are designed to deal with the abundance of waste we manage to create.
When filling fuel tanks or carrying out servicing tasks where fuels and oils might be spilled, pay particular attention to ensure that any spillages are soaked up and not washed into the watercourse. Detergents, such as washing up liquid only disperse oils, they don't contain. Containment is the key to avoiding further pollution.
Consider the use of less harmful chemicals for cleaning, washing or even wiping. There are many products on the market that are designed for the marine environment, from Eco-friendly washing-up liquids and cleaners, to marine-friendly toilet tissue.
Much of our food waste items take many years to decompose. Remember a banana skin can take 2–5 weeks, where orange peel can take up to 6 months to fully decompose. As for plastics, such as bags, bottles and lids, these can take 450 years to fully breakdown. However, in all of these cases there are plenty of other detrimental effects on marine life during these periods.
Wash particularly dirty items of kitchen wear at home. This reduces the chances of harmful chemicals entering our waterways. Use dedicated washing facilities provided by the marinas that you visit. Clothing detergents, although delicate enough for humans, aren't so for marine life.
And then there is the vessel itself. Ensure when undertaking antifouling tasks that old antifoul is kept away from drains and runoffs. In addition, ensure that any new antifoul applied, is fully cured before refloating. Many are designed to slowly leach, making it difficult for marine life to get hold. Coppercoat is becoming a more popular means of foul prevention, as the need for re-application is reduced, due to its composition. There are many other alternatives to antifouling coming onto the market, which benefit both the boat owner and the marine environment alike.
- Keeping your hull weed free seems an obvious step to take, not just for performance, but also for fuel conservation. A lightly fouled hull during the summer months will quickly gather more, due to water temperature and the additional light provided during this time of year. This attachment of marine life could almost double the fuel consumption of some vessels and impact not just the environment, but also your finances.
Overall, enjoy the nautical world we have been offered, but remember, it will only treat us as well as we treat it.
“Stay Green to Enjoy the Blue”
