The project’s goal is to scale and replicate Green Sail model in Croatia to other Mediterranean countries offering one of a kind awareness raising and educational programs designed to decrease plastic waste and increase recycling in the nautical tourism industry. ¬ The project aims to target Italy, Greece and Slovenia in 2020 and subsequently France, Spain and Portugal between 2020 and 2023 on the basis of organisation’s great achievements in Croatia. Green Sail is a not-for-profit organization that has been actively operating in Croatia for more than three years now. The organization focuses on promoting and encouraging sustainable tourism development, accenting effective waste management practices to its partners within the nautical sector. Green Sail partners with yacht charter companies and marinas in Croatia are provided with custom designed environmental programs (applying sustainable development principles) to develop and improve environmental policies, operational procedures and sustainability education (educational sessions, materials, information), in order to contribute to the reduction of plastic waste. The organisation’s role is to ensure that prevention is an integral part of the concept of sustainable tourism by promoting plastic reduction and recycling throughout the nautical community. Since this innovative idea has achieved an impressive impact in Croatia through its programs ( 57 yacht charter partners, 31 marina partners (ACI: 22 marinas + private marinas), 230,000 charter clients and 10 tourist agencies were introduced to Green Sail 2018 ), our aim is to replicate this concept to other countries with developed nautical tourism. Those countries are facing a problem of decreased seawater quality, especially due to the amount of microplastic rising every year. In the majority of partner marinas, Green Sail has managed to decrease the amount of plastic waste by applying the Green Sail concept and aims to do the same throughout other Mediterranean marinas. Green Sail results were recognized by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, giving the Green Sail organisation the possibility to influence law changes by providing information from the ground to law policy makers. We will start with developing the environmental policies of new partners. This will entail the reduction of plastic use, improved recycling habits, employee environmental education, the integration of environmentally friendly procedures and follow up support. In international marinas, the Green Sail flag will indicate that the marina is a part of the Green Sail network where conscious companies, employees and tourists identify with environmental and other social values. Onboard partner yachts, Green Sail flags will be used as a trigger to start a conversation about reducing and recycling between customers, crew and other tourists, similar to what has happened in Croatia over the past years. We will positively impact the natural environment by reducing toxic plastic pollutants which end up in landfills and the sea by decreasing the amount of plastic waste created and increase the amount of plastic waste being recycled in marinas by marina staff, yacht charter employees and their clients.

Ornela Krezić – LinkedIn