On the Water

The Green Blue was set up in Hamble three years ago.  Their aim is to show boat owners what can be done to avoid environmental damage when out on the water.

Being out on a boat is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to spend your time, but it does have an impact on the seabed.

The Green Blue team offer helpful tips and practical bits of advice from saving fuel, to litter, waste and recycling, cleaning and maintenance.

One of the hottest issues is Boats' bottoms, and the use of anti-fouling paints which can be harmful to all forms of marine life from molluscs to mammals, as Sarah Black from Green Blue explains:

"TBT (tributyltin) Anti-fouling Paints were banned for leisure craft a decade ago.  The problem we've had is that it was never banned for commercial shipping.

Anti-fouling is a hot issue for boat owners

"Now it's being banned for all commercial shipping as well which is really good news - so we're going to get that nasty TBT out of the waters and I think we'll see a significant environmental improvement."

To get their message across to boaters, The Green Blue has produced a code of conduct and a free interactive CD-rom for sailing clubs, training centres and schools which highlight important environmental issues in a fun way.