Blaine harbor wins environmental award

The Port of Bellingham’s Blaine Marina has been honored with a five-star rating by Whatcom County’s EnviroStars program. This program certifies businesses for their efforts in preventing pollution and reducing hazardous waste. Participating businesses are inspected to determine how proactive they are being in managing hazardous waste issues. A five-star rating is the highest rating the program awards.

Blaine harbormaster Pam Taft contacted the county about the program, which is designed to promote reduction in hazardous waste.
“The Port of Bellingham and our Blaine boaters are committed to taking steps to protect the environment,” Taft said. “This program is a great way to learn more about how you can adapt your operations to reduce and safely handle hazardous waste. Everyone was very helpful.”

Blaine Harbor is the first marina in Whatcom County to earn a five-star certification.

Some of the Blaine Harbor efforts that contributed to the five-star rating included:
• A pilot project to use planter box biofiltration to reduce seabird waste in the harbor.
• A comprehensive recycling system.
• The boaters’ active participation in taking the Clean Boating Pledge.
• The promotion of Best Management Practices and goal of being a zero-discharge harbor.

The county program is available for all businesses and offers free technical assistance and regular site visits to help reduce and safely manage hazardous waste. For more information about the local program, call 360/380-4640.