Greek Islands sailing holiday, Dodecanese Islands

Greek Islands sailing holiday, Dodecanese Islands

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How this holiday makes a difference

In a country whose main source of income is derived from tourism, thanks to its islands and its natural beauties, mass tourism and overexploitation of its natural resources have caused many environmental and social problems. Through our activities, we are trying to encourage travellers to approach places they visit with greater understanding and respect towards the local people, culture, wildlife and the environment. Simultaneously we wish to minimise the negative impact of our organisation on the above environments.

Our crew: By having everyone involved in our organisation promoting and adhering to sustainable travel principles and encouraging our guests to embrace our sustainable travel principles:
- By allowing space in our sailing boats for people to throw plastic bottles and other items which we take back to Athens for recycling
- By using biodegradable cleaning products and avoiding at all times the dumping of chemicals or non-natural products into the sea
- By ensuring that all guests are informed upon arrival that waste should never be thrown into the sea and recycling of plastic bottles should be done in the designated place
- By briefing our guests not to collect any corals or shells from the sea or beach. They are encouraged though to help us clean any garbage that they see inside the water or on the beach
- By briefing our guests upon arrival on the necessity of cutting down on their use of water and electricity. There is a serious problem with water in the Greek islands and we recommend guests to use water and electricity only when and to the level that is necessary
- By avoiding wasting paper in the office and using the internet as the main form of communication. The boat: By trying to minimise the impact of our boat on the marine environment. Sailing ecologically is a very wide concept starting from the manufacturing of the materials to the use of the boat. We are constantly working on minimising the impact of our boats on the marine environment.
- By having replaced our conventional outboard with an electrical one
- By using the motor as little as possible, mainly just to enter and leave the port and charge our batteries
- By having acquired a wind generator in order to achieve electrical self sufficiency without the use of motor or generator
- By raising money to buy hybrid engines so that we minimise the use of petrol
- By avoiding, when mooring the boat, to throw the anchor on meadows of Poseidonia Oceanica which are essential for the ecosystem. We always use permanent moorings when provided
- By having natural ventilation on our boats provided by wind scoops instead of air condition
- By using a long lasting antifouling which is less harmful to the environment than conventional antifouling paints
- By using biodegradable and with no phosphates products to clean the boat. We also use alternative boat cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda which are environmental friendly
- By recycling the batteries of the boat and not just dumping after expiry
- By keeping up to date with developments and new products that appear in the industry that minimise negative impact on the environment
- By using a pink propylene glycol antifreeze product to cool the engine that is less toxic than the conventional ethylene glycol one (typically green)
- By June 2008 plan to replace the traditional incandescent bulbs, which use a lot of energy with LED (light-emitting diodes) bulbs, whose energy consumption can be 15 times lower.

Greek Islands sailing holiday, Dodecanese Islands