Winners of the PBO 2011 Green Awards Revealed 

PBO Green Award Winners 2011Practical Boat Owner magazine announced the winners of the PBO 2011 Green Awards at the PSP Southampton Boat Show today on press day, Friday 16 September. The awards recognise marine businesses that are leading the way in reducing the environmental impact of leisure boating.

Jane Swan, Project manager for The Green Blue said: “The PBO Green Awards are important in showcasing the best new green technologies and services. We are delighted to see more sustainable products becoming mainstream and available to the end user as a viable alternative. We have worked with three of the four winners and know how hard they have worked to embed sustainability into their activities and these awards are justly deserved.”

The annual awards, now in their third year, are helping to make the industry more sustainable as well as encouraging the development of new greener technologies and services.

Speaking at the ceremony Practical Boat Owner’s Editor, Sarah Norbury, said: “This year our four categories drew some remarkable entries and competition was fierce. We congratulate all who entered for their commitment to environmental issues and their many achievements. We are proud to continue to support companies in the marine industry who are working hard to reduce their impact on the world around them and to showcase their efforts through our annual PBO Green Awards.”

The winners of the 2011 PBO Green Awards are:

Boats and Boat Builders: Jeremy Rogers Ltd - Contessa 32 Calypso

Last year Lymington boat builders Jeremy Rogers Ltd launched Calypso, a ‘greener’ version of their famous Contessa 32, in collaboration with The Green Blue. The aim of the Calypso project was to bring a whole new range of green products and technologies to the public and the industry without compromising on quality. Calypso’s green features include a hybrid (diesel/electric) engine, a real wood teak alternative – Kebony – for the deck and interior, solvent-free adhesive and varnish and ultra-slippery, non-toxic antifouling. As a functional work-in-progress, Calypso was exhibited on the pontoons at the 2010 Southampton Boat Show, and subsequent orders for new Contessa 32s specify many of Calypso’s features.

PBO’s verdict: “The Jeremy Rogers team has taken an already excellent sail boat design and pushed the green boundaries in Calypso.”

Marine Service and Support: Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy

Over the last few years WPNSA has worked diligently to become an international centre of excellence for sustainable sailing. On its roof the academy has one of the largest solar photovoltaic arrays on the south coast, helping it to generate up to 20 per cent of its electricity consumption. Its efficiencies also include a rainwater harvesting system and comprehensive recycling facilities (even for old sails), and it uses Fairtrade and local food in its catering. By working with The Green Blue, WPNSA became the first Olympic and Paralympic venue – and the first sailing venue in the world – to have its sustainability management system certified by British Standards (BS 8901, in use in many countries besides the UK). In fact, the British Standards Institute now uses WPNSA as a case study.

PBO’s verdict: “WPNSA illustrates how modern marine centres can be both successful and environmentally responsible. Their detailed, integrated planning and execution always kept green criteria to the fore.”

Campaign or initiative category: The Yacht Harbour Association

Founded in 1965, TYHA now encompasses 327 (and growing) marina members. In collaboration with The Green Blue, it re-launched and revised its Gold Anchor Award Scheme to integrate environmental best practice into the assessment of marinas, with third-party audits on the higher 4- and 5-anchor green aspects. The scheme not only encourages marinas to become more environmentally responsible but also helps boat owners to choose a greener marina. TYHA is a group member of the British Marina Industry Federation, but its standards are international: of its 55 overseas marina members, Portugal’s Vilamoura and Teos in Turkey have both just gained five gold anchors.

PBO’s verdict: “Integrating environmental criteria into TYHA’s Gold Anchor Scheme means that, to be seen as the best, qualifying marinas must also meet the highest environmental standards.”

 

Product category: Mastervolt – PodMaster

The PodMaster from Mastervolt leads a new generation of high-efficiency electrical propulsion systems. The quietly efficient hybrid PodMaster can replace diesel engines ranging from 6-36hp. In fixed or steerable versions, the easily-installed torpedo-shaped pod, which attaches to the hull while its electrical power source can be sited anywhere on board, can double as a water-powered regenerator when a yacht is under sail. A yacht fitted with a PodMaster, married to solar and wind systems, could be virtually self-refuelling from entirely renewable resources, while any shortfall can be made up using a diesel generator optimised for efficiency, rather than the relatively inefficient process of charging the engine.

PBO’s verdict: “Mastervolt take energy-efficiency and the harnessing of free power seriously, and the PodMaster range not only shows the way forward technologically, it does so with neatly-packaged style.”

 

Published 23/09/11

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