Sustainability has to be a priority for boating sector

Barely a day goes by without several articles being published by key media highlighting the precarious position of the environment. Earlier this month an IPCC report said that the UK government is “moving too slowly to tackle the climate emergency” (story via The Guardian).

In addition, just last week, Prince Charles set out his five-point plan to save the planet from environmental disaster, as he delivered a keynote speech to the Our Ocean conference. This was followed by news that carbon cutting pledges made at COP26 would see the world warm by just under 2c this century.

Whether those pledges are met and achieved remains to be seen, but the more headlines and events that raise awareness of the crisis can only be a good thing. 

 

Earth Day 2022: Invest in Our Planet

One such event is Earth Day, which takes place this Friday. Launched on 22 April 1970, the annual event which champions environmental protection and continues to grow in prominence every year. Last year it was reported that one billion people took part in a wide range of activities across 193 countries.

Many different bodies and organisations will be celebrating Earth Day on Friday – and using the event to showcase their own goals and activities in the fight against global warming. For example, the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that empowers small to medium sized businesses to take climate action, will be celebrating success stories from across its own community.

 

Val Wyatt’s commitment to the environment

The SME Climate Hub encourages small businesses to meet international climate targets, which includes halving their emissions by 2030. As part of its SME Climate Commitment, the Hub is also asking SMEs to target net zero emissions before 2050, as well as disclosing progress on a yearly basis – and this is something Val Wyatt was proud to sign-up to.

If you’re a business owner, and you’re keen to make the same commitment, we recommend checking out The 1.5°C Business Playbook, which provides guidelines for how to set a climate strategy to benefit the environment. The playbook also states why these targets are in place:

“To achieve the 1.5°C ambition, global greenhouse gas emissions should peak by 2020 and halve by 2030 to reach net zero by 2050, while at the same time removing some of the carbon already emitted into the atmosphere. Any delay will increase the risk of dangerous climate change and require even more dramatic reductions. Doing this will require the fastest economic and societal transition in history – but one which is both necessary and achievable, and will bring significant benefits from reduced biodiversity loss and pollution to improved health and economic development”

 

What we are doing to benefit the environment at Val Wyatt

We are clear that sustainability plays a vital role in our company values and vision for the future. As part of our SME Climate Commitment, we continue to work hard to map out what we can do as a business to protect the environment – not only analysing our own internal processes, but also what we can do within the wider community.

For instance, you may have already read that we became the first marina in the UK to receive an award for our decision to remove single-use plastic from our site. The Single-Use Plastic Free Accreditation, a joint initiative organised by The Green Blue and The Final Straw Foundation, presented us with the Bronze Certification Award in February.    

In addition, to encourage community awareness, we hosted a river clean up event in partnership with Warriors on Waste and Go With The Flo, which you may have read about on our blog. If you haven’t had time to catch up, then you can do so here.

 

The Green Blue

Whether it is carbon emissions, pollutants in our waterways, or the energy crisis, we need to change the way we behave to be sustainable and protect our world.

When you consider the current state of play with regards to the environment, it is vital that the boating sector takes on more responsibility for the preservation of our waterways and the wildlife. That is why it is encouraging to also see many sector specific organisations put initiatives in place that are aimed at making a positive difference. 

As a long term member of British Marine, we are in full support of the work being carried out by The Green Blue, the joint environmental programme created by the organisation in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association. Its key objective is to promote the sustainable use of coastal and inland waters by recreational boating.

The aims of Green Blue include:

• Raising awareness of key environmental issues and sustainable boating best practice
• Providing tailored information, guidance, environmental talks, webinars, educational activities and RYA instructor training
• Working closely with government bodies and agencies
• Developing partnerships and projects with other organisations, trusts, charities, and businesses

We encourage you to subscribe to their newsletter to keep abreast of the latest developments.

 

Looking ahead …

Over the coming months we will be using this blog to share more about our activities and initiatives, as well as important news and advice from the sector. We’ll also be creating a new section on our website to provide more information on best practises when it comes to boats and boating, whilst looking after our environment.