Haversham Sailing Club is committed to minimising the impact of its activities on the environment. The Environmental Policy has extra importance due to the sailing club being situated in the immediate floodplain of the River Great Ouse. This brings additional risks to the environment that mean extra mitigation and care is taken.

To achieve the aim of minimising the impact on the environment this policy sets out a series of action statements for each area for the club and its members to follow.

GOVERNANCE

• Where possible we will use digital communication methods, rather than printed materials, to communicate and promote our activities.
• We will endeavour to take a sustainable approach to running events at the club, utilising best practice and guidance where available.
• We will include environmental and ethical considerations in our purchasing wherever possible.

POLLUTION

• We will ensure that club safety boats are fuelled safely and responsibly to avoid spillages and pollution. Safety boat drivers will be trained in refuelling good practice and the use of spill kits.
• Tools and machinery used on site will be fit for purpose and maintained per manufacturer’s instructions to minimise the risk of pollution.
• Extra care will be taken to manage resources that come under COSHH (Control of Substances Harmful to Health) regulations to ensure they are stored to eliminate habitat/floodplain pollution incidents.

ENERGY

• We will minimise the use of electricity in all of our activities – for example by turning off lights and replacing old light bulbs with energy efficient models.
• We will seek to increase our energy efficiency in any refurbishment or extension of the clubhouse building.
• We will periodically assess the viability of incorporating renewable energy sources to power the club - for example solar panels coupled with a storage battery.

 
BUILDINGS AND MAINTENANCE

• Environmentally sensitive materials and methods will be applied for building maintenance, refurbishment and extensions.
• Biodiversity net gain principals will be followed for any new constructions, extension or refurbishments on site – for example installation of bird and bat boxes, swift bricks or bee homes.

WATER USE

• We will minimise the use of water in all of our activities - for example fitting trigger nozzles to hoses and turning off taps when not in use.

WASTE

• We will minimise the creation of waste and recycle as much as possible by providing adequate clearly labelled bins.
• Hazardous waste will be disposed of in the legally required manner.

BIOSECURITY

• We will require members and others to reduce the risk of bringing invasive non-native species on to our site and into our lake by requesting them to wash down boats, trolleys and trailers before taking them off site to another water and before they are returned to the club from another water.
• We will seek to improve signage around the site to remind members and others to follow the club’s biosecurity measures as well as following best practice guidance form the “Check, Clean, Dry” campaign and wider GB NonNative Species Secretariat (GBNNSS) initiatives that are relevant to the club.

HABITAT

• The club will seek to improve biodiversity on the site.
• We will manage the habitat of the site via a combination of light touch and managed intervention approaches, working in partnership where applicable.
• Habitat will be managed appropriately to ensure the main activities of the club are not affected.

See “Appendix A Wildlife Management” for more detail (to follow).

CHANGE/AWARENESS

• We will raise awareness among our members of ways in which the environment can be damaged and practical methods of preventing it. We will manage our site to encourage wildlife wherever practicable.
• We will publicise our environmental commitment and promote sustainability amongst our members and visitors on our website and club notice boards.
• We will measure and review our progress towards meeting the commitments of the Environmental Policy on an annual basis.
• A full review of the Environmental Policy will take place every 4 years with an interim review at the end of year 2.

You can download a PDF copy of the Policy: here

March 2022