Going Green on luxury charter yachts has been on my mind a lot lately.  As Chairperson of CYBA’s (Charter Yacht Brokers Association International) Going Green committee, we have taken on the initiative to reduce plastic water bottle use aboard charter yachts worldwide.  It’s sort of like the “Drink Tap Water” movement on land.

The majority of worldwide luxury charter yachts, both power and sail, produce their own water by desalinating ocean water.  Most can take it a step further to filter it, test it, chill it, and serve it in re-usable stainless steel water bottles.

Why Is This So Important? We sail in some of the most pristine waters of the world and visit islands that often do not have the infrastructure or the economic means to recycle.  So everything gets dumped and buried in landfills where it can take decades for the plastic to decompose.  An average charter yacht for 8 guests and 2 crew can easily use 300 plastic water bottles in a week.  Multiply that by a conservative estimate of 12 weeks of charter – that’s 3,600 bottles a year.  Then multiply that by 300 charter yachts – that’s over one million bottles a year in the BVI alone.

So many of us think that bottled water is better than tap or better than what the yacht’s systems can make.  Take a look at this great video – it might change your mind.

The Story of Bottled Water

So what can you do? Just say yes, I’ll try the charter yacht’s water.  If you don’t like it, we’ll still give you the bottled water.  But how about if we buy it in 1-gallon+ containers?

June  is National Ocean Month – stay tuned for some more ideas for going green boating.