Port of Everett Joins Green Marine

JOINT NEWS RELEASE  

Everett, WA – The Port of Everett, who supports the cargo movements of the nation’s largest exporter and is homeport to Naval Station Everett, is the newest participant in Green Marine, the largest voluntary environmental certification program for the maritime industry in North America.

“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the Port of Everett within the Green Marine program,” said David Bolduc, Green Marine’s Executive director. “With its newly adopted environmental policy, its desire to enhance environmental awareness, and its participation in our certification program, the Port of Everett continues to show its true commitment to sustainability.”

The Port of Everett has a strong track record of environmental management and is an environmental leader in Washington’s maritime industry. Consistent with its goal of continuous environmental improvement, the Port recently adopted Green Marine as one of its key environmental stewardship programs.

“Green Marine certification aligns well with our strategic initiatives with regards to the environment and sustaining the clean air, water and soil that we have in our Port,” Port of Everett CEO/Executive Director Les Reardanz. “This program is a great example of how good environmental planning and economic growth can go hand in hand.” 

Green Marine’s environmental program offers a roadmap for port authorities, terminal operators and shipping lines to voluntarily reduce their environmental footprint. The comprehensive program addresses key environmental issues using 12 performance indicators that include reducing air emissions, minimizing community impacts, and demonstrating environmental leadership.

Some of the benefits the Port of Everett hopes to realize by participating in Green Marine are:

• Improved management framework for marine terminal environmental stewardship
• Pursue state-of-the-art best environmental practices
• Improved employee morale and support by having clear environmental goals
• Improved public communication tools for reporting our environmental performance
• Improved relationships with regulatory agencies, granting agencies, and public

The Green Marine certification process is rigorous and transparent: results are independently verified every two years and each company’s individual results are published.

The Port of Everett is proud to join other Washington ports, including Port of Olympia, Northwest Seaport Alliance, and Port of Longview, in participating in this program and incorporating Green Marine into its daily operations.

For more information, contact Lisa Lefeber, Chief of Policy and Communication for the Port of Everett, at 425.388.0617 or by email at lisam@portofeverett.com or Manon Lanthier, Green Marine Communications manager, at 418.649.6004 ext. 302 or by email at manon.lanthier@green-marine.org.

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About the Port of Everett

The Port of Everett serves a critical function in support of the manufacturing and construction base. The Port of Everett is a deep-water port in Washington State, and is located 25 miles north of Seattle. The Port of Everett is served by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad and plays a vital role in support of the local aerospace industry. The Port handles 100 percent of the oversized oceangoing parts for the 747, 767, K46 Tanker and 777(X) airplane programs. As a result, Everett’s custom district was ranked first in the state with more than $29.8 billion in exports in 2015, according to the U.S. Customs and Foreign Trade Division. The Port of Everett’s major trading partners are Japan, South Korea, Russia, China and the South Pacific. Its primary imports are aerospace parts, steel, machinery, wind energy parts and bulk cement. Its major exports, includes machinery, steel, oil and gold mining equipment, aerospace containers, forest products, and other general and containerized cargoes.

Green Marine overview

Established in 2007, Green Marine is a North American environmental certification program for the maritime transportation industry. The program stems from the maritime industry’s voluntary initiative to surpass regulatory requirements. There are currently more than 100 companies – ship owners, port authorities, terminal operators and shipyards – from coast to coast in Canada and the United States participating in the program. The Green Marine program’s unique character derives from the support being earned from more than 50 environmental organizations and government agencies. These supporters contribute to shaping and revising the program.