GREEN TIPS FOR RESPONSIBLE SAILING
Wherever you go, you should leave only footprints and take only pictures. If we all take care, we can keep Greece nice for everyone for many future generations.
On a sailing yacht, you have already made the right choice to reduce your carbon footprint. Here are a few guidelines to ensure that you are a responsible tourist!
- Use nature`s free and sustainable resources as much as possible! Use the sails instead of the engine as much as possible. If you are flexible with your itinerary plans and check the forecast regularly, you can aim to go wherever the wind takes you. You may only need the engine for entering or leaving ports, and experienced sailors may not even need it then. Your fuel bill will be much reduced also!
- Most boats have solar panels to keep the batteries topped up, and if you are careful about energy usage, you may not need to use shore-power at all. Buy bags of ice to keep the refrigerator cool when you are not on shore-power or running the engine. Use sunlight to dry your hair instead of hair-dryers.
- NEVER throw rubbish (other than bio-degradable food waste) overboard at any time, and be careful about how you dispose of your rubbish when on the islands or on beaches. Many ports now have recycling facilities so it may be worth sorting your plastics, aluminium, papers and glass into separate bags and seeing if they can be left somewhere suitable.
- If you are a smoker, use ashtrays, whether you are on a beach or at sea. Don’t just leave stubs in the sand or throw them in the water. Afterwards, empty your ashtrays into a rubbish bin or bag and dispose of properly.
- If you have a barbecue on a beach, make sure you put out fires carefully (cover with sand) and take everything away with you so that you leave the beach in the same way you found it. In fact, why not organise a beach clean-up afterwards and leave it better than you found it? Not everyone is so responsible, so see how many garbage bags you can fill, then deliver them to the nearest port / recycling facilities. You`ll feel much better afterwards.
- Try to use only bio-degradable or natural shampoos, soaps, and cleaners while on board. Avoid polluting the sea with dangerous chemicals.
- Avoid interfering or disturbing the natural flora and fauna of Greece as much as possible.
- Never collect or remove plants or animals from the sea, including seashells, crustaceans, starfish, unless you are sure they are already dead. Some species are threatened by this. Also do not buy souvenirs made from sea animals which encourages trade in endangered species.
- When dropping your anchor try to avoid the dark patches of seaweed and aim for sandy bottoms. The dark patches are usually `posidonas` beds, or sea grasses which harbour important eco-systems and are under threat. They should be preserved as much as possible.
- If you see dolphins, whales, seals or turtles make a note of the time, place, number, direction and condition of the animals as accurately as possible and see if you can get some clear photographs. We would be grateful to receive your information in order to pass it on to biologists and research scientists in Greece who are trying to record the status of endemic species and create or strengthen laws for their protection.
Greece is for everyone. Let`s keep her nice!
