Making Our Mark: Going Green to Make the Bay Blue
In recent years, Watermark has made conscious efforts to reduce our footprint, protect our precious environment and grow awareness of the importance of going green. Whether it is during a wedding on board, or seeing dolphins on the way to beautiful St. Michaels, Watermark knows keeping our Bay healthy is essential for our many guests to enjoy the Chesapeake from our vessels.
When the Susquehanna River crested, washing tons of debris into our waterways, Watermark was there. We rolled up our sleeves, and helped the Annapolis Harbormaster clean up Ego Alley. Watermark believes in conserving, protecting, and preserving our environment. So when the Severn River Association and Oyster Recovery Partnership teamed up to plant 50 million oysters in the Severn River, Watermark assisted in making it happen.
Our strong efforts began to bear its fruits in 2010, when Watermark gained the title of a Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) Green Waters Business. PVA Waters is an environmental stewardship program to conserve, protect and preserve the natural environment through green business practices set forth by the Passenger Vessel Association.
The following practices are just a few examples that define us as a PVA Green Waters Business and reflect only a small percentage of our efforts. These practices include:
- Watermark recyclables:
- As much paper & plastic as possible
- Engine oil & Anti-freeze used by our vessels
- Printer cartridges
- Scrap Metal
- Low flow toilets on vessels
- Native plants landscaping
- CFL Lighting
- Paperless Training courses, online vessel manuals and communications to reduce paperwork
- Direct Deposit of paychecks
- Electronic document share practices
- Online reservations and ticketing to reduce paper tickets
- Power down offices at COB
- Fuel conserving policies managed by vessel RPM control
- Energy analysis to improve energy efficiency
- Oil/water separators to ensure petroleum products do not make their way into the water
- Watermark Water Canisters and office water coolers for all of our employees
- Re-fillable bottles for our cleaning products
- EPA’s Vessel General Permit Compliance
- Office paperwork recycling program
- Eco-Shredder for all outdated paperwork and cardboard
- Chesapeake Bay ecology & water conservation programs for students & adults
- Walking tours
- Annapolis Maritime Museum in their ecological education efforts donations and partnership programs
- Local vendor usage to reduce environmental costs of transportation
- We transitioned to paper straws on our vessels in 2019.
- Balloons are a threat to the marine environment we are intimately a part of and are not allowed on Watermark vessels. We are proud to take this small, but important, step in supporting the Bay’s fragile ecosystem.
- QR codes on signage to reduce the use of printed collateral
Watermark’s Environmental & Educational Partners
In addition to PVA Waters, Watermark is also a proud Founding One Hundred Sponsor of Annapolis Green. Annapolis Green fills a unique need, connecting the community by communicating an environmental message that is meaningful, positive and motivational, engaging residents, businesses, non-profits, government agencies, and visitors.
In Baltimore, Watermark partners with the National Aquarium offering an Aquatic Adventures package that includes time for students and groups to explore the Aquarium and then connect their learnings to the local waters on a Baltimore Harbor Cruise.
Proudly going green to make the Bay blue. Watermark. Making our mark.