First Marina in Aust gains EPA accredited licence

by Natalie Perkins on 23 Aug 2007
The Marina Hindmarsh Island was recognised and rewarded for its excellence in and ongoing commitment to sustainable environmental practices in a ceremony which took place on Thursday 16 August at The Marina Hindmarsh Island.

During the Ceremony, which was attended by dignitaries and local councillors, Dr Paul Vogel, CEO of the EPA presented the first EPA Accredited Licence achieved by a marina in Australia to Andrew Chapman CMM, Chief Executive Officer of The Marina Hindmarsh Island.

The EPA Accredited Licence was first developed in 2004 and while many organisations in South Australia have had the opportunity to apply for the Licence, The Marina Hindmarsh Island is the first in the state to attain it. To be eligible for the Accredited Licence, an organisation must have an environmental management system in place (such as ISO14001), be able to provide an excellent record of environmental performance and have an active EPA approved environmental audit and compliance program.

Andrew Chapman said 'The Marina Hindmarsh Island is dedicated to incorporating sustainable environmental work practices. It is immensely satisfying to have our commitment recognised. We have always worked with an awareness of the environmental impact and sustainability of our projects. Knowing that our local area is environmentally fragile, being the delta of the River Murray System, an area which is RAMSAR listed, we understand that it requires special protection.' He went on to say 'This accreditation is representative not only of the commitments made by The Marina Hindmarsh Island, but also by our staff, our clients and our boating and residential communities.'

Ian Mckenzie CMM, The Marina Hindmarsh Island’s Environmental Officer, said 'This accreditation, along with the many environmental awards already attained by The Marina Hindmarsh Island reinforces the fact that we lead the way in environmental practice and that we are setting an example for marinas around Australia to follow suit.'

The Marina Hindmarsh Island has long been known for environmental awareness and is the only marina in Australia to have 3 Certified Marina Managers within its ranks. It is also ISO 14001 (World’s Best Practice in Environment and OH&S Management) accredited, is a member of the International Green Blue Environmental Organisation and is certified as a Clean Marina by the Marina Industry Association of Australia. It was awarded 'Australian Marina of the Year' in 2003 which recognised its comprehensive programme for the environment amongst many other attributes.

Perhaps one would think that after all of their hard work and outstanding environmental achievements the Chapman Family being the developers of The Marina Hindmarsh Island would be happy to sit back and bask in the glory of this most recent accolade. However Andrew Chapman made it quite clear that they would not rest on their laurels. 'It is paramount that we continue to incorporate sound environmental practices into the running of the marina and we will continue with our commitment, not only here at The Marina Hindmarsh Island, by searching for ways to further protect flora and fauna but also through our new developments- Narnu Waterways, here on Hindmarsh Island and Wakefield Waters, at Port Wakefield. We firmly believe that every business must be responsible for ensuring their practices are environmentally sustainable and that is a challenge that will never end.'