The Green Marine
Environmental Program
The APDC has been proudly certified in the Green Marine program for eight years in a row. Certification comes after a year-long process of undertaking an internal assessment to benchmark annual performance through the program’s comprehensive self-evaluation guides. These results then had to be verified by an accredited external verifier and ultimately the Port, like every applicant, had to agree to publication of the individual results.
The goal of Green Marine is to collaborate with any marine company operating in the U.S. or Canada to reduce its environmental footprint by undertaking concrete and measurable actions.
It is a voluntary, transparent and inclusive initiative that focuses on key environmental issues. The Port of Albany joined the Green Marine Program in 2016 and was the first New York Port to do so. It is intended to use this program to help make even greater improvements in the environmental efficiencies the Port strives for in daily operations. The goal is that this will have expanded benefits by tenants and customers signing on as well and we are already seeing that trend with emerging tenant investments. The Port of Albany joins with ship owners, ports, terminals, Seaway corporations and shipyards to address environmental issues through Green Marine’s 12 performance indicators.
The Green Marine Program is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry and includes environmental performance measurements such as monitoring invasive species, GHG emissions and air pollutants, spill prevention, community impacts, environmental leadership and waste management. The Port of Albany looks forward to continuing its commitment to continuously improving environmental performance and working with its partners, customers and tenants to do the same.
Participants | Green Marine (green-marine.org)
Environmental Stewardship
The Port of Albany strives to conduct all activities in a sustainable manner defined as environmentally responsible, community driven, and economically beneficial. Acting for the environment is not only important for the Hudson River watershed and neighboring communities, but for sustaining the Port’s operations in the long run.
In 2016, the Port of Albany joined the Green Marine Program, a voluntary environmental certification. Every year, the Port must design initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint that exceed regulatory compliance. These improvements fall into six focus areas:
Aquatic Invasive Species:
We allow research on Port territory to reduce the introduction of invasive species and harmful pathogens in the Hudson River by means of ship’s ballast water. Next, the Port will collaborate with researchers and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to create an active registry of invasive species on Port premises.
Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants:
The Port strives to reduce air pollutant emissions related to Port activities through a number of projects including, limits on vehicle idling, sustainable transit education, and publishing of greenhouse gas reports. These initiatives will be compiled in our Energy Performance Plan.
Spill Prevention:
Our operations staff follow a preventive maintenance plan that ensures reduction in spills and leakage of operating equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure. All of our maintenance protocols work to prevent spills and contamination of the Hudson River.
Community Impacts:
The Port’s economic benefits are felt largely by the Albany-Rensselaer area; however, there are external environmental costs associated with Port operations including noise, dust, light pollution, and traffic. The safety and security of our community always comes first at the Port, so we have started a number of initiatives to minimize these costs. Please reach out the Port with any inquiries.
Environmental Leadership:
As a landowner, we must lead by example to influence tenants to implement environmental projects. And with significant influence in the City of Albany, we must promote the best environmental practices through our operations. In the future, the Port is looking to adopt an environmental management system, invest in renewable energy, and publish annual reports of environmental progress.
Waste Management:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable waste management is an obligation at the Port. We are committed to reducing office paper and printing, recycling whenever possible, and using and purchasing materials that limit waste sent to the landfill.