The green movement has become an inevitable part of our everyday life, and should be a vital part of our businesses as well. It is often easier said than done - as the elimination of plastic often require re-usable alternatives that back in the not that long ago 'plastic era' wouldn't have been worth the effort.
Thankfully, items such as plastic straws, single-use plastic bags and beverage cups are slowly but surely being replaced with paper, stainless-steel and glass.
Minimizing our footprint is not only question of plastic, even though plastic is probably the most dangerous ocean polluter coming in many forms: from careless disposal management to buying and washing synthetic fabrics whose micro particles end up in our waters.
When it comes to sustainable tourism, we have decided to take a deeper look in what the present situation is, and how can we try harder and set an example for others as much as possible.
Nautical tourism has become a big thing in Croatia, but it looks like the authorities weren't ready for that boom. A large amount of yachts in a relatively small sea can contribute to different forms of environmental danger. There are steps that we can follow, with minimal effort, to help making our sailing trip as green as possible.
1. Using showers and toilettes
Every yacht is equipped with electric toilets and showers. The waste water end up in a tank that should be either filtered and discharged at a minimum 12 miles distance from the shore, or sucked up by specially designed pumps at marinas along the coast.
The bad news is that in Croatia there are no straight forward regulations about whether marinas should be equipped with those pumps nor is anyone keeping track of the tank discharging distance.
How can you help improve the negative impacts of waste waters in the sea?
The yacht will be docked in different marinas during your trip, according to the customized route. Taking showers and using toilets in the marinas keep the "black tank" low and help preserving our seas from pollution.
2. Recycling and keeping waste out of the ocean
Another way to help out preserve landscape is applying your recycling and responsible habits on the boat, even though it probably won't be required from you. Buying large water jugs as opposed to small bottles to minimize the waste, using glass cups from the kitchen cabinet and recycling waste in general is a small effort for a group but the nature will be thankful, especially in those crowded summer months. Cigarette butts are particularly harmful to the sea, as they take up to 400 years to degrade so beware to safely dispose them without starting a fire.
Green Sail is a non-profit organization which started raising awareness about sustainable tourism in Croatia. They have made a list of eco-friendly and responsible companies form the domestic sailing charter industry. We applaud to their initiative and effort, and we've therefore decided to partner up only with those who care about our environment. You can recognize them by their green flag on the boat.