Going Green To Save The Blue

The Charter Yacht Broker’s Association encourages you to learn more about how we can protect the environment and keep our industry thriving.

We collaborate with our industry associates and chartering communities to promote Going Green initiatives within the Charter Yacht Industry.  We welcome you to join in our efforts and hope you find our resources and initiatives beneficial.  Let’s work together in Going Green to Save the Blue!

The Charter Yacht Brokers Association is leading a collaborative effort to reduce the use of plastic water bottles on charter yachts throughout the world.

Many of the pristine areas where charter yachts operate have no means of recycling.  All trash ends up in the landfills.  Plastic bottles are especially problematic as they can take over 400 years to decompose.  Most luxury yachts are capable of providing pure, filtered water made by their watermakers.  By offering the yacht’s drinkable purified water, together we can prevent millions of plastic bottles from going into the landfills.

One of the ways CYBA has helped to reduce the use of plastic waters bottles within the industry is by encouraging all brokers and yachts to not use plastic water bottles at the Charter Yacht Shows.  This has been very successful, as in previous years a broker would be offered at least a dozen plastic water bottles a day at a Charter Yacht Show, but now it’s rare to even be offered one during the entire how.

We also display bags of plastic water bottles showing the plastic water bottle waste a typical charter would create in one week to show the dramatic impact a single charter can have on the environment.   Another way we are promoting the use of drinking the yacht’s purified water is by conducting a “Designer Water Contest” at various Charter Yacht Shows annually.  This is a fun contest where the yachts prepare infused water using creative ways to flavor and present the water, and a group judges the water based on flavor, creativity and presentation.  We have had some amazing entries over the years and the contest has been a great success.  We have compiled many of the contest entries to create a CYBA Designer Water Recipe Book so yachts can prepare delicious and attractive water to serve onboard during their charters.

Five Easy Steps to Going Green as a Charter Yacht Broker

1. Revise Preference Sheets to offer charter guests the choice of drinking the yacht’s water rather than bottled water (if the yacht provides it). Example: Our yachts have watermakers onboard with filtration systems, producing water that is as pure as bottled water.  In an effort to reduce waste and preserve the fragile marine environment, would you be willing to drink the yacht’s water?  Re-usable water bottles will be provided.____ Yes _____ No .

Or provide the guests with this Sample Letter to Promote the Going Green Initiative

2. Go paperless when possible such as using e-brochures instead of hard copies; transmitting contracts and forms by e-mail; when you print use recycled paper and print on both sides.
3. Reduce plastic as much as possible such as using reusable water bottles.
4. Adopt a recycling policy for your office to recycle all paper brochures, bottles, cans, etc. as well as batteries, print cartridges, cell phones, etc.
5. Encourage yachts to add details regarding their green initiatives and systems to their e-brochures.  Support yachts that are making an initiative to be environmentally possible as much as possible.

For more information contact [email protected]

Visit our ‘Going Green to Save the Blue’ Facebook page for updates about the cause and ways to get involved.