Blue Flag Scheme
The Blue Flag scheme was first introduced by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) several years ago to promote clean beaches and marinas. The FEE subsequently extended the scheme for tourism boat and Sail Training International became aware of it in Belfast in 2009 where the Portuguese Tall Ship Sagres was flying the ‘Blue Flag’.
In 2019 Sail Training International signed a new partnership agreement with FEE and together have developed a new set of criteria.
The new Blue Flag scheme is an annual award requiring vessels to update their information each year.
The award focus on three areas; behaviour (of the organisation and vessel), education (of the captain, crew and trainees) and communication (with third parties and the general public).
The application process itself looks at three elements:
Declaring current environmentally friendly measures – example: having a black & grey water management process.
Documentation of procedures – example: supplying the relevant section of your written procedures for environmental activities on board.
Evidence of procedures and measures – example: present copy of log book records of behaviours on board.
The new Blue Flag scheme places emphasis on the requirement of vessels to educate and inform organisations, Captains, crew and trainees on procedures and environmental behaviour in general.
You can fill in the Blue Flag scheme Application below.
We are always looking to improve the Blue Flag scheme and it’s positive impact on the environment. If you have any suggestions for ways to improve the scheme, please send them to: blue.flag@sailtraininginternational.org.
Massive Open Online Course on Marine Litter
On October 26, 2020, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in cooperation with the Open University of the Netherlands, will launch the 4th Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Marine Litter.
Marine litter is a global problem that affects every ocean of the world. Litter is an environmental, human health and socio-economic problem that is a symptom of a highly disposable society. With worldwide growth in the amount of solid litter thrown away every day and slow rates of degradation, the amount of litter present in the marine environment is increasing. This course seeks to inspire students to take action and leadership in the arena of marine litter through stimulating interaction with all stakeholder groups.
The MOOC has been created in order to stimulate leadership and offers opportunities for actionable and change oriented learning related to marine litter within the framework of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter. The MOOC will be disseminated through the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability (GUPES) which currently comprises of over 520 universities globally.
