This spring has seen a couple of staff changes at The Green Blue. Julia Christie, our Project Officer in Scotland has left us to pursue a career in photography. We wish Julia all the best and thank her hugely for all the great work she achieved for the programme. Sarah Black, Project Manager is currently taking a three month sabbatical. Sarah will be tying the knot and sailing off into the sunset around the beautiful western coast of Scotland. Meanwhile Jane Swan, Partnerships Officer will be holding the fort during Sarah’s absence.

Speaking of Scotland, World Ocean Week, supported by the Solway Firth Partnership will be taking place from the 6th to 14th June. Set against the stunning scenery of Dumfries and Galloway's beautiful and unspoilt coastline, World Oceans Week (WOW) is a week-long, marine themed event aimed at promoting the region and its unique marine environment. Family orientated, open to everyone and mainly free of charge, WOW's schedule of celebrations, walks, talks, activities, boat trips and competitions has something for everyone. One of our volunteers, Chris Lawler, will be at fort William on the 14th representing The Green Blue, so be sure to say hello if you’re around.

www.solwayfirthpartnership.co.uk/projects_d.asp?ID=4

Happy Birthday Recycling Programme

As we celebrate the first anniversary of our marine recycling programme this month, we are delighted to report that over the last 12 months some 7.4 million litres of waste has been diverted from landfill sites and recycled thanks to the initiatives of the programme.

We have worked with 15 marinas and 7 sailing clubs along the South Coast over the last year helping them to establish recycling schemes or enhance existing facilities, by introducing recycling bins on pontoons, in offices, bars and tenant areas amongst others.

Landfill tax currently costs £40 a tonne and is projected to increase to £72 per tonne by 2013. By introducing recycling, which is not subject to landfill tax, the clubs and marinas taking part in the programme have made substantial cost savings. Haslar Marina in Gosport estimated savings of around  £8,000 last year following the introduction of the recycling programme.

As for the future, the recycling programme will be integrated into the work of Dan Reading, our Recycling Officer who thanks to support from The Crown Estate, has had his role extended to include sustainable facilities solutions and the roll out of The Green Blue’s Marine Toolkit. This new focus will enable the programme to offer advice on recycling alongside ways of reducing costs on energy usage, water efficiency and hazardous waste.

To find out more about The Green Blue, recycling and other sustainable facilities projects visit www.thegreenblue.org.uk or call Dan Reading on 02380 604 242

www.marinetoolkit.co.uk

Voluntary no anchor zone in Studland Bay

Following concerns over the effect of boating on sea grass in Studland Bay, The Crown Estate and Natural England have agreed to fund a two year study into the impacts of mooring and anchoring on sea grass health and the presence/abundance of associated marine life.

Sea grass is a scarce habitat that is an important source of shelter for the juvenile stages of many species as well as being a feeding ground for wildfowl and a home for seahorses.

It is believed that the action of dropping and weighing anchor causes considerable damage to the sea grass as large clumps can become detached and that mooring chains scour the sea bed. However no scientific evidence exists as yet and it is hoped that the two year study will clear this matter up.

In order to carry out the research, a 100 square metre area will be designated and marked as a voluntary ‘no anchor zone’ and boat users will be asked to avoid anchoring in this area. The sea grass will then be monitored in this area and in an unmarked control zone to assess the extent to which anchoring affects the sea grass. A similar scheme has been in operation for the past few years in the River Helford in Cornwall and has proved to be very successful.

We hope that a solution can be found which will enable boat users to continue to enjoy the waters of Studland Bay whilst ensuring the long term health of the sea grass and wildlife it supports.

Please send enquiries to evironment@rya.org.uk

Volvo Eco Challenge

The 2009 Volvo Eco Challenge has now been launched, with £20,000 worth of grants available to Volvo RYA Champion Clubs. Twenty Two clubs across the UK were awarded with cheques of up to £1,000 after entering the 2008 Volvo Eco Challenge, run in partnership with The Green Blue.

The Volvo Eco challenge encourages children and young people to look at the environmental impact their club has and to think creatively about how they can improve this with the use of a small grant. Last year’s ideas included harvesting rain water for use as boat wash down, setting up recycling schemes and installing wormeries to dispose of club kitchen waste.

“Sailing depends on a sustainable marine environment”, said Rod Carr, OBE and Chief Executive of the RYA. “The Volvo Eco Challenge is an opportunity for all clubs and sailors to make a real difference to their local environment. Volvo RYA Champion Clubs are already committed to excellence in the field of race training for youngsters – so they are an excellent test bed for actions that improve the environment by taking part in this challenge”

The scheme ambassador Chris Packham, television presenter, wildlife photographer and author, is one of an expert panel of judges, he said “The Volvo Eco Challenge has encouraged young members of Volvo RYA Champion Clubs to get actively involved in environmental projects and represents a great opportunity for integrating environmental concerns into wider aspects of our lives”.

Chris will be visiting a number of clubs throughout the summer sharing top tips and  ideas with young club members.

www.volvocars.co.uk/ecochallenge

Photo Competition - The Good, The Bad and the Funny

As you get out and about on the water this summer why not keep your camera handy and snap up one of our wonderful prizes in our photography competition.

The Green Blue’s photography competition is all about capturing those unique moments that make our sporting environment so special. We are looking for photographs to help us promote good environmental practices to boaters and marine businesses under three headings; The Good, The Bad and The Funny.

Your photo could be a stunning sunset, a leaky oil drum*, a funny moment onboard the boat or it could be a community clean up at your local club, something horrible such as discarded balloons, or an interesting wildlife image! Whatever you think fits we are looking for inspiring and special photographs.

There will be prizes for all three categories – The Good, The Bad and The Funny with two age groups for each category, under and over 16’s. There will also be an overall prize of the brand new Cannon underwater camera, the Powershot D10 and a special celebration at the PSP Southampton Boat Show.  Runners up prizes have been kindly provided from Henri Lloyd, Quay Marinas, MDL, and Dean and Reddyhoff Marinas. The winning photo may even feature on the front page of the RYA magazine or make its way onto the pages of the RYA and BMF websites!

The closing date for applications is the 24th August.

*Please note any serious environmental issues such as oil leaks should be reported to the relevant authorities (see our website for contact details)

** Printed images cannot be returned

Download application forms from our homepage