ONE°15 Marina has always been committed to educating the public about sustainability, especially on water and ocean conservation. With over 71% of the world made up of water, it is paramount that we take care of our water resources and conserve whenever possible to maintain a sustainable clean supply and keep our oceans blue.
In March this year, we participated in the Public Utilities Board (PUB) annual Singapore World Water Day (SWWD) through a series of engaging activities. These activities included a Marina & Coral Garden tour, a specially-concocted drink at Boaters’ Bar, a month-long quiz on water conservation and more, as well as sharing of water saving tips on our social media platforms.
Despite the gloomy weather with sudden downpours on 19 March, our Members were undeterred as we embarked on our inaugural Marina & Coral Garden tour.
Our Marina Director, James Roy, started the tour by sharing some of our recycling initiatives that led us to being a Level 4 Clean Marina.
The Level 4 Clean Marina is in line with the International Standard 14001 Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001). With this accreditation, we are also a fish-friendly marina and we have recently been re-accredited in 2021.
We proceeded outdoors to have a look at the recycling initiatives, such as the recycling centre in the Dry Stack, where we recycle waste oil from the boats, plastic, aluminium, cardboard, and glass collected from the Clubhouse
Here’s a fun fact! A drum of waste oil can store up to 200-litres of oil before it gets sent for recycling!
Recycling bins have been set up at the gates of the marina, to encourage our boaters to recycle whenever possible. It is also convenient for them to throw their trash out when they leave the marina.
When the rain subsided, our Members went to the marina and had the opportunity to get close to the recently-installed Collec’Thors by The Searial Cleaners. First in Asia to have these installed, these machines are designed to attract and collect solid and liquid waste floating on the water’s surface, and can handle up to 100kg of waste!
It started pouring so we headed indoors where Sam Shu Qin, our ONE°15 Eco Advisor took the stage to share on corals. She shared the importance and the reason for coral restoration and highlighted the efforts that had been done in Singapore. Sam also passed around some coral skeletons to help our Members understand the impact of coral bleaching.
Fortunately, the skies cleared up just as Sam’s presentation came to an end. Our Members were then led to the ONE°15 Marina Coral Garden to see our coral restoration efforts.
Joined by Lionel from Our Singapore Reefs, our Members were split into two groups and led through the Coral Garden. Sam and Lionel shared insights into the different types of corals, including transplants on the seawall and fragments on nursery frames. They also explained how to differentiate between good and bad algae, and we even spotted sea urchins and two octopuses swimming among the corals.
Finally, our Members were treated to a short ride around the marina in our new pumpout boat and that wraps the tour up.
The pumpout boat was recently replaced to one that is powered by an electric engine. Much quieter, efficient and eco-friendly, this new boat can hold up to 1,500-litres of blackwater and can now service all vessels in the marina.
In celebration of SSWD, the team at Boaters’ Bar has created a special blue cocktail that’s perfect for the theme: the Ocean Mojito. The sweet and minty cocktail was made with rum, blue Curaçao, soda water, lime, blueberries and fresh mint leaves.
Guests have been raving about the Ocean Mojito, and we are thrilled to see how much everyone is enjoying it. As it is a limited edition drink, it is no longer available on our menu, but let us look forward to seeing it at our next sustainable event!
We also held a Quiz & Win campaign throughout the month of March. This quiz tested participants’ knowledge on water-related topics such as water consumption, Singapore’s clean water catchment areas, the process of generating clean water as well as our country’s water supply chain. Participants had to answer all 15 questions correctly before standing a chance to win $30 worth of F&B cash vouchers.
It was heartening to see enthusiastic participation from both our Members and non-members. We hoped everyone got to learn the importance of water conservation and it encouraged them to learn more about these sustainable water practices.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to our Members and non-members for their participation during SWWD. Thank you for keeping our oceans blue with us!
