Environment: Belledune, Georgia

The Port of Belledune is the newest participant in Green Marine, a voluntary environmental certification program for the maritime industry in North America.

"We want to be proactive and Green Marine can guide us to further improve our environmental performance," said Denis Caron, president and CEO of the Belledune Port Authority." Our port stringently adheres to all regulations and we take our role in safeguarding the environment very seriously."

In 2014, Green Marine and the Association of Canadian Port Authorities (ACPA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the goal of jointly expanding efforts to reduce the marine industry’s environmental footprint. Green Marine signed a similar agreement with AAPA in 2013. All 18 Canadian port authorities and a growing number of U.S. ports are now Green Marine participants.

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

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

"We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the Port of Belledune within the Green Marine program," said David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director. "We are proud to now regroup all Canadian port authorities within our environmental program. It shows the commitment to sustainability of the whole port industry."

Georgia Ports Authority Holds Tree-Planting Ceremony

GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch is joined by Karen Jenkins, executive director of the Savannah Tree Foundation, and arborist Shannon Baughman of Bartlett Tree Experts at a tree planting event on National Arbor Day, Friday April 28. The sapling replaces a historic oak lost during Hurricane Matthew.
Photo/Georgia Ports Authority

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) celebrated Arbor Day with a special tree-planting ceremony at Garden City Terminal to replace a historic oak lost during Hurricane Matthew last year.

"As we improve our operations and upgrade facilities, we take every step we can to preserve Georgia's historic, majestic trees," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "The 10-year-old live oak sapling we're planting today is a small example of how the GPA provides for our natural resources today and into the future."

On the 1,200-acre Garden City Terminal, the GPA protects and preserves habitats from wetlands to old growth oak trees, as part of its commitment to conduct port operations in an environmentally responsible manner.
The sapling joins a grove of about a dozen trees that are more than 200 years old adjacent to Highway 25. The oldest oaks at the port facility date to the mid-1600s.

"Maintaining these old-growth trees at a working port shows that it is possible for industry and the natural environment to coexist," said arborist Shannon Baughman. "The shade these trees provide, the oxygen they produce and the carbon sequestered in their massive trunks provide long-term benefits to the area. It's exciting that the Georgia Ports Authority recognizes their value."

The GPA has a long track record of sustainable practices.

The authority currently preserves 300 acres of natural wetlands in Brunswick, and has established 14 acres of wetlands at the Port of Savannah as a natural filter, to protect the Savannah River. Additionally, GPA is a longtime supporter of the Caretta Research Project, which protects sea turtle hatchlings.

"Operating Georgia's deepwater ports sustainably is an integral part of our mission," said Lynch. "In every business decision, the Authority balances continued economic growth with being good stewards of precious natural resources."

An avenue of oaks, some more than 360 years old, grows amid the Port of Savannah's Garden City Terminal. Photo/Emily Goldman, Georgia Ports Authority