2024: A year of growth and collaboration for Green Marine
As the holiday season approaches, Green Marine is celebrating 2024 as a year rich in achievements and new developments. With international expansion, the welcoming of two new talents to the team, and active participation in the pilot project, the year has been defined by great strides forward. Productive external collaborations, numerous meetings, and a number of new memberships testify to our collective commitment to a greener future. Let’s look back at some of 2024’s highlights!
Green Marine International
Green Marine International was launched in May. It represents a new stage in the evolution of the Green Marine and Green Marine Europe environmental certification programs. This unified governance structure supports the maritime industry’s voluntary efforts to go beyond environmental regulatory requirements.
“This is truly a turning point in the Green Marine history of a unique certification program that began in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region 17 years ago. It now extends throughout North America, Europe and beyond,” notes David Bolduc, Green Marine’s President. And CEO At the first Annual General Meeting on May 23, nine North American directors of the board were appointed, followed in November by three from Green Marine Europe.
A stronger team!
Two new talents joined our team this year! Allison Ryan joined Green Marine in January 2024 as a Program Manager. Based in St. John’s, she coordinates the North Atlantic Advisory Committee, supports East Coast participants in Canada and the United States, and contributes to the program’s review and the external verification process.
Mohammed Zahiri joined Green Marine in August 2024 as the Director of Finance and Administration, which is a newly created position. He manages the accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and administrative tasks, which include meeting preparation and member support in response to the organization’s growing needs.
Five international pilot projects
Green Marine has launched pilot projects in Australia, Mexico, and the Bahamas to extend its environmental certification program. These initiatives aim to validate the adaptability of the program’s requirements to different regions beyond local regulations. Five maritime enterprises have been taking part since July.
“Our program has gained international recognition since the launch of Green Marine Europe four years ago, and participation continues to increase in North America. Now other parts of the world are showing interest too,” David Bolduc says.
Read the Green Marine Magazine story about this!
Always collaborative in our approach
Green Marine once again demonstrated its commitment to a collaborative approach by organizing more than 30 meetings, bringing together some 700 attendees, including committee members, participants, auditors and partners. Together, they worked to improve the certification program to advance environmental excellence in the marine sector.
Partnership
In May, Green Marine and the Smart Freight Centre signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the environmental performance of maritime transportation. Together, they will guide the industry in reducing GHG emissions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, while promoting their programs and reinforcing their common missions.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In collaboration with Clear Seas, a supporting member, Green Marine identified performance indicators with direct or indirect links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Green Marine’s program contributes to 25 targets across 11 of the 17 SDGs, with the newest performance indicator on Aquatic Ecosystems having the strongest correlation with these goals. This exercise offers a fresh perspective and new ways to highlight the efforts by participants in addressing the urgent environmental challenges identified by the U.N. for the planet’s well-being.
Promising results
At GreenTech 2024 this past June, Green Marine unveiled the latest results of its participants for the 2023 operational year. The year saw the largest cohort of new participants. During the event, the annual performance report was released. Despite an increase in new participants and revised criteria, the average performance score remained stable at 2.9 on the program’s five-level scale, reflecting the program’s balanced and continuously evolving requirements.
See the full report: 2023 Performance Report
A record-breaking conference
Speaking of GreenTech, the 17th annual Green Marine conference, held in Halifax from June 5 to 7, 2024, set participation records, attracting more than 345 delegates, approximately 30 exhibitors, and nearly 50 speakers!