CRMC announces Clean Marina Program with public workshops

April 27, 2006, WAKEFIELD—The RI Coastal Resources Management Council has developed a Clean Marina Program with the RI Marine Trades Association, RI Department of Environmental Management, and Save The Bay to protect the state’s coastal waters and benefit the marina industry in Rhode Island. These groups will be holding a series of public workshops in May in an effort to educate the public on the program.

The Clean Marina Program is a voluntary initiative designed to reward marinas that go beyond regulatory requirements by applying innovative pollution prevention best management practices (BMPs) to their day-to-day operations.

A RI Clean Marina Guidebook and self-assessment checklist have been developed by the CRMC as tools to assist marinas toward becoming RI Clean Marinas.  Marinas that achieve this status will be presented the RI Clean Marina Award and other highly publicized incentives to distinguish them as top tier “green” businesses that offer clean, safe, and environmentally friendly facilities.

Marina owners and operators are invited to attend a free informational workshop on the Clean Marina Program on May 9, 10, or 11 at the locations listed below.  The workshops will be identical on all three dates, and will include all the information necessary to learn about the Clean Marina Program. Seating is limited, so please note that the May 11 workshop has room for 40 attendees, compared to the first two workshops. For directions to any of the workshops please send an email to Kevin Cute, CRMC marine resources specialist, at the following address: kcute@crmc.ri.gov .

“The CRMC would like to thank the RI Marine Trades Association, the DEM and Save The Bay for their involvement in helping to develop the Clean Marina Program,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “Each of these groups, along with the CRMC, had something valuable to offer to the process, and the marina industry will surely benefit from the expertise which contributed to this product.”

• Workshop I. May 9, 5-7 p.m.: Corliss Auditorium, URI Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, RI
• Workshop II. May 10, 5-7 p.m.: Citizens Bank Community Room, Save The Bay Center, 100 Save The Bay Drive, Providence, RI
• Workshop III. May 11, 5-7 p.m.: Room 33, Roger Williams University, Ralph R. Papitto School of Law, Bristol, RI