There is nothing better than taking your boat out on the water and enjoying life with all that nature provides to us. To help preserve the environment and ensure that future generations can enjoy boating for years to come, boaters should be aware of how they can help minimize their environmental impact and reduce the carbon footprint of their boating experiences.
1. Minimize Engine Idle Time
The first thing that boaters can do to preserve natural resources is minimize the amount of time that their boat engine is turned on. Non-renewable fossil fuels are leached into the air and water with each second that the boat's motor is running, so minimizing engine idle time can reduce the amount of fuel that is used. Not only does reducing fuel consumption help preserve the environment, but can also help save you money at the pump!
2. Utilize Renewable Energy Sources
Renewable energy sources can be a great alternative to using fuel or plugging in to charge your batteries and run your electronics. Solar panels can be attached to your vessel with minimal time, effort, and cost. This method can also save money over the long term. Of course, the downside to solar panels is that they only generate electricity when the sun is out. Other devices such as wind generators can help provide renewable energy when the sun is absent.
3. Store and Dispose Garbage Properly
There are trillions of pieces of trash floating around in our oceans every day. To avoid contributing to this issue, boaters should ensure that garbage is properly tied down and stored away during travel. Boaters should also make sure that recyclables and other garbage is properly disposed of at the conclusion of your outing to reduce environmental impact.
4. Minimize the Barnacles on Your Boat Did you know that those small barnacles on the bottom of your boat can have a significant environmental impact? These organisms increase the drag on the boat as it moves through the water, which leads to increased fuel consumption over time. As noted earlier, increased fuel consumption leads to higher expenses as well. Minimizing the barnacles on your boat is a great way for boaters to reduce their carbon footprint. We recommend boaters use BARNACIDE®, the environmentally friendly barnacle barrier to prevent barnacles from causing increased fuel consumption on their boating trips.
5. Use a Non-Toxic Bottom Paint
When boaters use cleaning agents and bottom paints with toxic chemicals, these toxins can continue to leech into the water, causing irreversible damage to the plants and animals in the area. To prevent this damage from occurring, we recommend using BARNACIDE®, the environmentally friendly barnacle barrier. Boaters can rest assured that BARNACIDE® will never endanger the surrounding aquatic environment from the leaching of toxic chemicals into the water throughout its entire 5-10 year life span. Using BARNACIDE® allows boaters to reduce their environmental impact in a variety of ways.
To learn more about environmentally friendly boating, visit our Instagram @barnacideboating
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