They are marinas that have adopted Environmental Best Practices as a policy and way of doing business. Using a Clean Marine Manual developed in 1997 and rewritten in 2008, participating marinas are guided through environmentally responsible practices in all marine operations. The manual was produced through the cooperation of Boating Ontario, Environment Canada, and Ontario Ministry of Environment.
Eco Ratings are achieved in an audit covering more than 200 environmental practices. Greenleaf Environmental Marketing, an Ottawa-based certification company, completes this audit. Results are then converted to a rating system with a low of one and a high of five green anchors. There are now almost 100 marinas with the highest rating. For those who have achieved that goal, 12 additional new criteria may bring them Gold, Diamond and Platinum additions to their rating.
This is an opportunity for you to choose the certified, most environmentally responsible homeport for your boat. If you are cruising in unfamiliar waters the Eco-Rating flag lets you choose a destination marina knowing they are doing all the can to preserve our lakes and rivers.