SUSTAINABLE SAILING Heather Francis
Going green in the galley We try to live low impact on board Kate not because it is trendy, but because every day we see firsthand how humans are impacting the Earth; beaches littered with trash, plastic floating in the ocean miles away from shore, declining fish populations, extreme weather. You can’t see these things firsthand and not act; at least we can’t. We are all familiar with the old slogan; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. For decades it seems like this mantra was practiced backwards; the emphasis always put on the end action, recycling packaging. Consumers could feel good buying whatever they wanted if the plastic packaging could be recycled. Not anymore. In recent years, the focus has shifted to reducing waste. The old slogan has been updated: REFUSE, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
“Refuse” and “Reduce” are a great way to start greening up your galley, especially since many of the places we visit don’t have the infrastructure to support recycling programs. I am not suggesting that you must live without all the pleasures that cooking and eating can bring. On the contrary. Making mindful decisions in the galley and when provisioning can make life taste a little sweeter.
Choose cloth To cut down on garbage and save storage space use cloth napkins and dish cloths instead of disposable serviettes and paper towels. Recent studies have shown that micro -particles are released when synthetic fabrics are washed, so choose natural fabrics like cotton, linen, hemp, and bamboo over manmade polyesters and microfibres. To keep things hygienic, sew a small piece of coloured thread to each napkin and assign everyone onboard a colour. To sanitize and to remove stubborn grease stains boil napkins and dish cloths in clean water with a squirt of dish soap every few months. SisterShip 60
