By Chrystal Young
Table of contents
An Earth Day perspective from LTD Sailing in Grenada
Every Earth Day, we hear a lot about big environmental changes. But on the water, it’s usually the smaller, everyday decisions that have the biggest impact.
The way we provision. The products we use. What we throw away. What we pick up.
For boaters and sailors, these choices matter. We spend time in places that are directly affected by them, whether it’s a quiet anchorage, a reef, or a stretch of beach after a storm.
So instead of talking about broad ideas, we wanted to share a real-world example.
At LTD Sailing – “Living the Dream”, in Grenada, environmental awareness is part of the day-to-day rhythm of running a sailing school. Not in a perfect or polished way, just in practical habits that add up over time.
Here’s a look at how they approach it, in Chrystal’s own words.
We sail.
Sailboats by definition are earth friendly. Hoist a sail and go!
Our sailing school is located in Grenada, West Indies where you can enjoy some of the best sailing in the world. Have you ever experienced the point where you turn off the engines and you are just being propelled by the wind? Awe! What a feeling!
We encourage environmentally friendly products
We ask our students to use earth-friendly bug spray, sunscreen and lip balm.
Aerosol sunscreen is absolutely prohibited! Not only is it bad for the environment but it destroys all the material on the boat, fiberglass, vinyl, plastic, etc. We have butt imprints in our saloon settee that we can’t get rid of without replacing the upholstery.
Beach clean-up is part of what we do.
We organize and volunteer to clean up the local beaches. This also includes working with the local dive shops to clean up under the water. Even something as simple as picking up that one plastic cup washed ashore makes a difference.
The one thing I find most often on the beach is one shoe. I thought about starting a page for “Lost Soles” LOL!
Also, plastic clothes pins. Ugh! We prefer wooden clothes pins that disintegrate faster if they fall overboard.
We use refillable water instead of single-use bottles.
On our trips out of Grenada we provide five gallon natural spring water jugs from Poli for our students to refill as needed.
Yeti cups are the new bumper sticker!
Minimum requirements for drinking water range from 1 liter to 1.5 gallons per person per day. Do you know what American Sailing suggests as a minimum?
We try to minimize plastic wherever we can.
Although Grenada recently started a plastic recycling program, we still want to keep plastic use to a minimum.
We buy soda and beer in 100% recyclable bottles from Carib Brewery. We put reusable containers on our trips to avoid the use of plastic bags. We use tin foil instead of plastic wrap and glass containers for our lunches when possible. And, of course, we eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles by refilling sustainable bottles.
We go paperless when we can.
Whenever possible, we use online billing, payment and bank statements. We even pay our staff with wire transfers. It makes organizing so much easier and takes up less space in the storage room.
We’re working on giving back, too.
We are currently working on a new program called “Each One, Plant One” where our sailing school classes will plant a tree on Sandy Island that was damaged during the hurricane.
This goes along with our friend Nat from Nat’s Pizza whose motto is:
“Real man plant trees.”
We are constantly looking for ways to help the environment. If you have any suggestions for us, we are happy to listen.
What this looks like in practice
None of this is complicated. That’s kind of the point.
It’s not one big initiative. It’s a series of small decisions made over and over again, on the boat, on the beach, and behind the scenes.
And that’s what makes it approachable.
If you’re a:
- sailing school or charter company, this might look like changing how you provision or what you provide onboard
- boat owner, it might mean rethinking what you bring with you each trip
- charter guest, it might be as simple as what you pack in your bag
- beach traveler, it might just be picking up a few things on your way out
Earth Day challenge
You don’t have to do everything.
Just pick one thing from this list and try it next time you’re on the water or at the beach.
Bring a reusable bottle.
Skip aerosol sunscreen.
Use less plastic when you provision.
Pick up trash when you see it.
That’s it.
Because protecting the places we enjoy doesn’t start with big promises. It starts with small habits that actually stick.
And if enough of us do that, it adds up.
About the Author
Chrystal Young is the co-owner of LTD Sailing – ”Living the Dream!” and founding member of the Grenada Sailing Club. She first learned to sail in the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest before trading pine trees for palm trees and moving to Grenada more than thirteen years ago. She and her partner built LTD Sailing from the ground up, and today it remains a family run school dedicated to teaching sailors in the heart of the Southern Caribbean.
Join The Discussion
-
Show us your beach cleanup efforts!
Drop your photos from recent cleanups or share how you protect the places you love. Read Chrystal’s full article for inspiration and simple ways to make a difference on and off the water https://americansailing.com/articles/7-ways-earth-friendly-boater/
americansailing.com
What One Sailing School Is Doing for the Environment
7 Simple Ways to Be a More Earth Friendly Boater starts with small habits that protect the water and shores we love every day
Sorry, there were no replies found.
Log in to reply.
