BC Ferries, the contracted service provider responsible for ferry service along coastal B.C., announced on Nov. 1 the launch of an initiative that the company says brings together the company’s existing environmental activities, conservation efforts, community investments and new sustainability endeavors under a single program called SeaForward.
“The goal of SeaForward is to reduce BC Ferries’ environmental footprint, improve the sustainability of our operations, engage our employees and support coastal communities,” said Corrine Storey, the company’s vice president of customer services and leader of the new program.
“With support from all levels within BC Ferries, SeaForward embraces our common appreciation for the sea, land and air, and our passion for protecting it. SeaForward provides opportunities for our employees to identify improvements we can make to our environmental and social performance,” she added.
According to BC Ferries, the SeaForward program has three primary components: Sustainable Operations, Conservation and Community Well Being. The three key initiatives include efforts to increase composting and recycling, the tracking of whale sightings in association with the BC Cetacean Sightings Network, and BC Ferries’ employees actively participating in the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up. All activities under the SeaForward program will be monitored and measured to determine the impact they have on the company’s environmental and social performance, the company has said.
“As a major BC company that transports passengers and goods along coastal British
Columbia, we have long recognized our responsibility to provide ferry services in the safest, most efficient and environmentally sustainable manner possible,” offered Storey.
Initially, SeaForward will be driven by employees, with a goal of inviting passengers to participate in some initiatives as they’re developed and as metrics are put in place to evaluate their success.
