One week, 48 boats and only two bags of garbage.

Thanks to Sailor for the Sea’s Clean Regatta protocols, this year’s Shark World Championship in Niagara-on-the-Lake was able to be as eco-friendly as possible.

Laurel Gordon, who spearhead this initiative on behalf of the NOTL Sailing Club, said that she had been wanting to implement more eco-friendly behaviours when she came across Sailor for the Sea.

Gordon explained that as sailors, they don’t use a lot of fuel in their boats and rely on the wind – so, why not go as green as possible?

“My goal was just to have everything reusable, recyclable or compostable. So, when Sailor for the Sea came to light, I thought, ‘This is the perfect program. Let’s just adopt all the measures that we possibly can,’” she said.

The most vital step was securing compostable containers for meals, she said, which they served two of each day.

“Border City Papers in Niagara Falls carries a wonderful line of compostable dishes and cutlery, so that was a natural choice to go with them,” she said.

Along with compostable dishes, cutlery and cups, the sailing club also provided filtered water with the “water wagon,” reusable drinking vessels and an increased number of compost bins in the surrounding area.

“We let all the competitors know ahead of time so that they didn’t come unprepared,” she said.

Gordon said that for big events, the sailing club hopes to continue to follow the protocols.

She added that they are in contact with Sailor for the Sea to confirm their platinum standard status.