Blue Flag and Pick a Pier partner to launch exclusive Popeye® Sail Club

With the increasing demand for berth space, industry leaders are finding new ways to sustain our marinas while continuing to adamantly protect the ocean. Blue Flag’s digital partner, Pick a Pier, is at the forefront of this mission and has just introduced an exciting new initiative — the Popeye® Sail Club.  

Pick a Pier is a leading online platform that connects boaters and marinas, streamlining the berth reservation process and simplifying communication. Now it’s becoming even stronger with the launch of Popeye® Sail Club.

Popeye® the Sailor Man, the tough, loveable seafarer from the comics is now more helpful, more intelligent, and even stronger with technology — the perfect mascot to champion an international sustainability initiative.

 “We’re excited by the incredible opportunity to engage directly with boaters to promote sustainable boating practices,” said International Blue Flag Director Johann Durand. “With Popeye at the helm, we can make the message of responsible sailing far more memorable.”

 Here’s how it works

 For every sail, boaters earn points, which can be redeemed at participating marinas as credit towards reservation fees. By reserving berth space in advance on Pick a Pier’s platform, boaters can now sail with ease while maintaining the flexibility to change their reservation up until the day of arrival.

 Knowing with certainty exactly where to dock in two weeks is reward enough. But with a Popeye® Sail Club membership, boaters will be further rewarded for those advance reservations. Boaters can book a berth with priority access at some of the most sustainable marina destinations and get points for every USD/Euro spent. They’ll also get points for reporting that their own berthing space will be vacant when they sail away from their home marina. The programme encourages boaters to plan ahead by giving up to 3 times the points on early reservations.

 Points can then be redeemed for discounted reservations and other marina services. On top of that, Pick a Pier will have special offers and promotions just for members that make points even more worthwhile.

Popeye® Sail Club is launching by invitation only and boaters at participating marinas will be the first to get their exclusive membership. Other boaters can be added to the waitlist at www.popeyesailclub.com

“We are extremely proud of this one-of-a-kind programme. Popeye® Sail Club is taking the Pick a Pier experience one step further. The club is designed for the most passionate boaters, empowering them to easily sail in a more sustainable way — and rewarding them along the way,” explains Idan Cohen, CEO of Pick a Pier.

Promoting better sustainability practices 

Popeye® Sail Club is built around sharing economy principles that promote better use of existing resources and sustainability.  

Pick a Pier is already helping Blue Flag marinas optimise their resources without compromising the environment or creating more work for their staff. Allowing marinas to do more with what they have reduces the need for marina construction or expansion. 

But working with marinas and incentivizing boaters to plan ahead to increase sustainability is just one piece of the puzzle. In partnership with Blue Flag, Pick a Pier will ask that new boaters take the Sustainable Boating Pledge and adhere to eco-friendly practices at sea and on-shore. 

 The five basic principles are simple and incredibly effective in raising awareness among boaters and promoting a healthy ecosystem. 

1. Protect the Waters
   Refuel with care and never dump waste into the ocean

2. Safeguard Marine Life
   Anchor and fish only in permitted areas 

3.  Minimise Waste
   Avoid single-use plastics and use eco-friendly cleaning products when possible. 

4. Be More Considerate
   Be mindful of other boaters in your vicinity. Dump sewage only where permitted. 

5. Stay Watchful 
   Report violations and inform authorities about hazards. 

Blue Flag is committed to ensuring a resilient ocean, and Popeye® Sail Club will help us reach more boaters, showing everyone that ease of use, profitability and sustainability go hand in hand.  

Blue Flag has begun using a new material for their flags created by recycled PET bottles

Blue Flag has made alterations to their fabric being used for the Flag, in partnership with Semaphore, the flag is now created utilising 100% recycled PET bottles.

Blue Flag works alongside Semaphore who produce the Flags which are used on certified beaches. Figures from 2020 production included orders that were dispatched toward forty-eight countries covering four continents. In 2021 the partnership with Semaphore was renewed with new material being used for the flags, offering the same products and sizes as before however with a new material: PET Flag. 

This recycled material is made from used PET bottles that are collected in supermarkets and other collection points in western Europe. After collection, the bottles are chopped up in little flakes and then melted into polyester yarn. This yarn is then used to create the new flag fabric on which the Blue Flag is screen printed in The Netherlands.

The new PET Flag material was rolled out during the 2021 season on Blue Flag beaches all over the world with very positive results.

Team Semaphore is very happy with the new contract and we look forward to continuing working with the Blue Flag organisation! -Team Semaphore

Tobago Boat Operator achieves the International Blue Flag award

The International Blue Flag Jury has granted the prestigious Blue Flag award to the Tobago tourism boat operator Top Catch Charters. Top Catch Charters has now entered an elite class of Blue Flag awarded boat operators and is currently the only Blue Flag awarded boat in the English speaking Caribbean.

The achievement of this renowned environmental award has meant that Top Catch Charters operations has complied with standards pertaining to environmental management, environmental education and information, safety and services, social responsibility and responsible operation around wildlife. The staff of Top Catch Charters has demonstrated their ongoing commitment to adhering to international best practices as it relates to providing quality service and safety standards to their guests whilst celebrating and protecting the natural environment.  Ms Shivonne Peters, Manager of Top Catch Charters explains what it means for the business to achieve this award.

“The Blue Flag award for us represents the fulfillment of our goal to provide eco-friendly tours to our customers and transform Tobago’s tourism product. For us at Top Catch Charters, we began our journey with the concept of a sustainable business model; one that ensured we minimized our environmental impact. By developing simple strategies such as saying no to single use plastics and providing alternatives through locally sourced materials such as calabash and bamboo, we truly believed we could encourage our clients to practice sustainable habits, well beyond the duration of our tours. We certainly hope that this is the start of a movement in the tour industry, not only in Tobago but in Trinidad and Tobago. Ultimately, it proves for us and says to the world that sustainable tourism is possible in Tobago as we can successfully balance economic activities with environmental conservation”.

Top Catch Charters was one of four tourism boat operators that were recipients of grant funding by the UNDP Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SPG) Green Innovator Challenge in Trinidad and Tobago. As a beneficiary of the grant Top Catch Charters received the necessary assistance and services to apply for the Blue Flag programme and ultimately accede to the necessary criteria to achieve the prestigious environmental award. Dr. Sharda Mahabir, National Coordinator GEF SGP UNDP, also extended her congratulations and expectations, 

 “GEF SGP is pleased to support Green T&T in their efforts to strengthen tourism by certifying boat operators under Blue Flag. This certification will put our beautiful sister isle on the map in terms of initiatives in support of the Blue Economy. We look forward to positive outcomes and benefits coming out of this project and more GEF SGP projects on the sister isle.”

The National Operator for the Blue Flag programme Green T&T worked alongside Top Catch Charters and three other tourism boat operators as part of the project proposal 'Reducing environmental footprint and improving eco-friendly Blue Economy by supporting Blue Flag certification for four small tour boat operators in Tobago.' Top Catch Charters was the first to submit their application to the Blue Flag National Jury, which was indicative of their steady commitment to preserving their natural environment and reducing their operations environmental footprint, inspite of the challenges posed by the COVID 19 pandemic. Joanna Moses-Wothke, CEO of Green T&T further elaborates what this achievement means for Top Catch and local tourism in general.

“This is a very significant accomplishment and there is a lot to celebrate. This is the first and only Blue Flag certified Boat Operator in the English-speaking Caribbean, the only Blue Flag certified site in Trinidad and Tobago and the first and only Blue Flag certified site for Tobago. Top Catch Charters is trailblazing when it comes to environmental performance for tour boat operators, especially on the heels of theTravel Industry Club (TIC) Destination Awards in which Tobago was given 2nd place. We at Green T&T are very proud to be a part of the ground-breaking achievements and we look forward to our continued work with Top Catch Charters and other tour boat operators and beaches on the island.”

 The Blue Flag programme is owned and managed by the international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education) based in Denmark. The program has been operating in Europe since 1987 and has become a highly respected and recognised award, working to bring together the tourism and environmental sectors at local, regional and national levels to ensure sustainable tourism.  Currently, the Blue Flag is flying at over 4,600 sites in 47 countries and has over 80 blue flag awarded boat operators worldwide. Mr Narendra Ramgulam, Director of Product Development & Destination Management, Tobago Tourism Agency Limited describes the significance of this achievement to the destination of Tobago.

“This Blue Flag award for Top Catch showcases the strong environmental work that has gone into setting Tobago apart from its regional competitors. Last year, destination Tobago achieved pilot status for 3 Blue Flag beaches, earlier this year we followed up with aligning our accommodation sector to the Green Key certification, and now our tourism boat operators like Top Catch are on board to fulfill the destination's strategic sustainable advantage. 

This is the first private-public partnership of its kind on the island, and its success will act as a catalyst for other tourism operators to come on board so we can transform Tobago together. There is still a long road ahead in achieving our sustainability goals for Tobago, our residents and our visitors, and we will continue to foster the stakeholder partnerships necessary to ensure continuity, rejuvenation, revitalization and success as we move the destination forward together.

While we enjoy the success of our first official Blue Flag designation for Tobago, we at the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited are proud of Top Catch for leading the way and fulfilling the criteria set out by the Foundation for Environmental Education to make this possible.  We are also grateful to our partners at Green T&T for their support which made this a reality.

As a foundational principle of FEE for the roll-out of the Blue Flag programme in Trinidad and Tobago, a National Jury comprised of local stakeholders, discerns on all Blue Flag applications. Upon approval by the National Jury the application is forwarded to the International Jury for final vetting and approval. In Trinidad and Tobago the National Jury comprises of representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation- Tobago House of Assembly, Tobago representative of the Trinidad and Tobago Life Saving Society, Community Development Enterprise Development and Labour, Solid Waste Management Company Limited, Department of Modern Studies, Signal Hill Secondary School, Environmental Management Authority, Division of Health Wellness and Family Development- Tobago House of Assembly, Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago and Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd.

Blue Flag awarded to 27 beaches on the Belgian coast

Good news for all seaside visitors! On the 2nd of July, the Blue Flag was raised on 27 coastal beaches in Belgium. The Blue Flag is an international award for beaches, tourism boats and marinas that excel in quality and sustainability.

Copyright: Blue Flag Belgium

Until the day of the award ceremony, Belgium was almost the only European country without Blue Flag beaches on the coast. Thanks to the necessary interventions at the estuaries of the port channels of the water-treatment company Aquafin, as well as the efforts of the municipalities, the water quality has improved to such an extent that any coastal municipality is now eligible.

At the beginning of July, GoodPlanet Belgium, Tourism Flanders and Aquafin therefore officially raised the first Blue Flag at the Twins Club in Bredene, in the presence of the Mayors and the Minister.

I am convinced that this award will strengthen the positive image and reputation of the tourist destination Flanders nationally and internationally, and make Flanders even better known as a high quality and sustainable travel destination

says Flemish Minister of Tourism, Zuhal Demir.

Worldwide, there are 4.664 Blue Flag sites in 46 countries. However, a beach or marina does not get the Blue Flag award effortlessly. Locations that apply for the award are assessed by an external controller, an independent Belgian jury and an independent international jury. 

Fun in the water is the highlight of a day at the beach. Water purifier Aquafin is happy to support the Blue Flag award because a clean sea makes it clear why all those sewerage works are necessary for Flanders. Because in the end, all the water flows in the sea. The operators, who keep the water purification plants on the coast running, ensure that you can enjoy yourself as a family without having to worry about water quality,

says Valerie Lievens, communications manager at Aquafin.

However, the guidelines of the Blue Flag award include much more than regulations concerning clean swimming water. Each location also complies with strict standards concerning safety, general services and accessibility (for example, the presence of lifeguards, first aid equipment and the availability of drinking water, amongst others), environmental and sustainability management (such as a clean beach with possibilities to sort waste, clean toilets etc.) information about water quality, local nature reserves as well as an information board with a general map.  

Currently, there are twelve beaches and seven marinas in Belgium that already received the Blue Flag award in recent years and will continue to follow the regulations of the award in 2020. 

Contact

Jorine Vermeer, Project Manager Blue Flag
+32 473 13 45 76 | blueflag@goodplanet.be

 Valerie Lievens, Manager of Communication Aquafin
+32 476 96 79 45 |valerie.lievens@aquafin.be

Stef Gits, Spokesperson Tourism Flanders
+32 486 22 67 95 | stef.gits@toerismevlaanderen.be

 Andy Pieters, Spokesperson & Deputy Head of Cabinet Flemish Minister Zuhal Demir
+32 499 17 35 84 | andy.pieters@vlaanderen.be

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

Awarding Ceremony

The National Blue Flag Award Ceremony in Turkey kick-off the 2020 Blue Flag season

The Turkish National Blue Flag Award Ceremony for the 2020 season was held on the 17th July on Cesme Ilica Public Beach, located in the region of Izmir, Turkey.

Photo ©: Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s media

The Blue Flag award is widely recognised in Turkey. Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy participated to the ceremony and highlighted during his speech the importance of the Blue Flag award for Turkish beaches: "The Ministry gives a strong importance to Blue Flag and is working hard to increase the number of awarded beaches among the country”.

Photo ©: Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s media

The Minister also underlined the commitment of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to providing more information and education to the travel industry and municipalities in order to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism. Finally, an extensive development plan has been announced to develop the country’s beach facilities and improve treatment plants - key criteria to receive the Blue Flag award.

Photo ©: Mr. Orkun Kalonya from Cesme Municipality

In total for the 2020 season, 508 sites in Turkey are Blue Flag awarded - 486 beaches and 22 marinas.

Gozo Blue Flag beach event raises awareness about water and beach pollution in Malta

Friday 26th June 2020 was a special day at the Blue Flag awarded Hondoq ir-Rummien beach in Gozo, Malta. Different activities were organised by Nature Trust – FEE Malta to raise awareness about water and beach pollution.

The day started with volunteers cleaning up the beach - handpicking cigarette butts and small pieces of plastic from the sand and between the pebbles.

In the meantime, a group of divers made an underwater clean-up of the area.

The cleanup was followed by a presentation from the Gozo College Middle School Eco-Schools team about their GLOBE project to the two Ministers in attendance, the Minister of Gozo Clint Camilleri and the Minister of the Environment Aaron Farrugia. The students started the project from the same beach last November by collecting plastic litter and subsequently collecting data on the effects of plastic litter on sea water temperature and pH value.

Back in January, a turtle had been rescued by the Wildlife Rescue Team from the town of Marsalforn, another beach north of the island, after being spotted entangled in fishing debris, and was cared for by Nature Trust Malta. The turtle, named Jenna, was tagged and released in good health back into the sea on the day of the beach cleanup, much to the pleasure of all the students and adults present.

You can access the video of the turtle going back into the sea here.

Images copyright: Anita Muscat/Nature Trust - FEE Malta

Werner & Mertz for a sustainable transformation of our post-COVID 19 world

Green Key’s and Blue Flag’s partner Werner & Mertz Professional urges for a stronger focus on sustainability in our post-COVID 19 world and supports their clients in being part of this transformation.

©Werner & Mertz

These days, our society is facing unprecedented challenges – during and after the crisis. Being a producer of sustainable cleaning product solutions, Werner & Mertz’s is one of the companies that had the immediate chance to help stem the pandemic and took this important social responsibility very seriously. Since weeks, the company is prioritising the production of disinfectants and clients that need them most such as hospitals, nursing homes, government agencies of outstanding importance for national security and food retailer.

As people currently clean more frequently and intensively than before, it is even more important to use sustainable and biodegradable detergents without toxic substances thus avoiding further unnecessary burdens for people and the environment. As special emphasis is now placed on the cleaning of surfaces in exterior or public areas. Whether disinfecting certain surfaces outside healthcare facilities is required at all should be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the actual contamination of the surfaces. To support their clients and partners with reopening their businesses with the right cleaning practices, Werner & Mertz developed cleaning & hygiene guidelines for their clients.

German Environmental Award winner and owner of Werner & Mertz, Reinhard Schneider, appealed for a sustainable transformation instead of retro liberalism in post-corona era in a press release published on 3 June. He vouches for a stronger focus on circular economy principles when rebuilding the economy as the long supply chains were particularly prone to disruption during the time of the crisis. Werner & Mertz itself is a front-runner in terms of circularity, with many of their products being certified with the ‘Cradle-to-Cradle’ standard.

Being a family-owned company, Werner & Mertz is also dedicated to the social side of sustainability and gives back to the community wherever they can. In June, the company donated approximately 170 pallets of more than 80,000 sustainable ‘Frosch’ brand household cleaners, dishwashing and laundry detergents to Tafel centers throughout the country, providing the customers of the Tafel with the necessary means to keep their homes clean and safe. The Tafel is a non-profit organisation in Germany supporting people in need with food and other daily supplies.

A Blue Flag beach in the large tourist city of Odessa, Ukraine, democratically won the "Best Beach of Odessa" award

Odessa is the third most populous city of Ukraine, and a major tourism center, seaport and transport hub located on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The award ceremony called "National Recognition/ People’s Vote - Odessa of the Year" is held every year to award regional leaders in the south-western part of Ukraine for their work in a broad range of categories from glamour and culture to politics and business. The project, which was founded in 2001, is carried out by the South Ukrainian Media Holding (UMH) and is one of the most ambitious and socially significant in the south of Ukraine.

Last December 2019 was the launch of the first edition of the "Best Beach of Odessa" award and the Blue Flag awarded Caleton Beach was declared the winner by the public’s vote. Its owner, Yuri Degas, went on stage to receive the award consisting of an honorary diploma and a cup that were handed to him by Tatyana Markova, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Odessa City Council.

Pictures copyright: www.048.ua

Keeping the momentum of the 2020 UN Ocean Conference

The overarching theme of the 2020 UN Ocean Conference this year is "Scaling up Ocean Action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions", calling for science-based innovative solutions to amplify global ocean action. The conference was supposed to take place in Lisbon, Portugal from the 2nd to 6th of June, and Blue Flag International had planned to attend. Unfortunately, it has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new dates will be announced at a later time. Despite the postponement, we would like to keep the momentum going and share Blue Flag’s contributions to the protection of the ocean and marine resources and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, is the planet's largest biosphere, and is home to up to 80 percent of all life on Earth. It generates oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide emissions, is a vital buffer against the impacts of climate change, nurtures biodiversity and is essential to human well-being and livelihoods. This is why the ocean’s protection against unsustainable human activities is essential to limit the depletion of marine resources and pass on a more sustainable world to future generations.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 set 17 transformative goals to be reached by 2030. Goal number 14 “Life Below Water” stresses the need to conserve and sustainably use the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources. Blue Flag International is strongly committed to supporting the UN SDGs by promoting sustainability in the tourism sector, and contributes to their achievement through environmental education, environmental protection and other sustainable development practices.

Blue Flag’s influence is growing every year, with currently more than 4,500 Blue Flag awarded beaches, marinas and tourism boats in 47 countries around the world. Blue Flag also campaigns against disparity, inequality, unemployment, health threats, depletion of natural resources, environmental threats, pollution and general environmental degradation. One of the latest examples of Blue Flag’s contribution to the SDGs was the inauguration of the first Blue Flag Best Practice competition in 2020 on the theme of pollution. The competition was created to highlight the best examples of environmental protection practices implemented by Blue Flag sites around the world.

You can access all of the Best Practices implemented by Blue Flag sites here: https://www.blueflag.global/best-practices

To read more about how Blue Flag engages with and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals : https://www.blueflag.global/sdgs-blueflag

To get more information about the UN Ocean Conference: https://www.un.org/en/conferences/ocean2020