Clean Boating Foundation recognizes outstanding
commitment to environmental responsibility
The Clean Boating Foundation has awarded its Certified Leadership Clean Boatyard award to Swantown Boatworks, which is owned and operated by the Port of Olympia. Earlier this year, the boatyard was among the first to receive the Certified Clean Boatyard honor.
According to Peter Schrappen, foundation executive director, the Leadership certification recognizes the Port facility’s “. . . outstanding commitment to environmental responsibility and its achievements in restoring the health of Puget Sound.”
Leadership Clean Boatyard certifies environmental responsibility at an even higher level than the Clean award, according to Bruce Marshall, Port Harbor Director. Swantown was one of three recipients of the first Leadership awards; the other two are located in Seattle.
The Clean Boating Foundation is working towards cleaner waters in Washington state. Partnering with boatyards, the state Dept. of Ecology, environmental groups and scientific experts, the foundation is a market-driven effort to go above and beyond the minimum environmental requirements laid out in the Washington Boatyard Permit.
The main goal is to develop a checklist of criteria towards which boatyards can strive to become Leadership Clean and Clean. The foundation will advertise the list of certified boatyards to the boating public, giving them a choice of where to spend their money when it comes time for boat repairs and maintenance.
Washington state sees almost 300,000 recreational boats on its waters each year, providing $4 billion in overall revenue and 28,000 marine-related jobs. The foundation believes that increasing the industry’s environmental standards beyond what is required will add to the allure of recreational boating in this environmentally-conscious region.
