Bellingham Celebrates Zero-Carbon-Footprint
Catching up on some emails at the Bellingham stand, John Spragg, general manager of Bellingham Marine Australia, says the purpose of the corporate presence at SIBS is 'branding and to support the company's clients around Australia'. 
'Soldiers Point Marina, the country’s first certified carbon neutral marina.'
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Bellingham will attend several boat shows this year, including SCIBS, SIBS, Adelaide, Melbourne 'which we do off and on', says Spragg, and Perth.
'We have to be here, but we only take a small 6 x 3 space. We're not selling marinas to passersby,' he says. 'In fact, I always say if somebody came up at a boat show and wanted to buy a marina, I'd sack our sales staff. They should have known about this potential client for a year and half prior.'
With a background of more than 30 years in the construction industry and having managed many varied projects around the world, from sports stadiums in Australia to oil facilities in the Middle East, John is a founding and current Director of the Marina Association of Australia. 
Fresh off the back of winning the tender for Singapore's Keppel Bay Marina, which Spragg acknowledges was 'a very tough tender', he reports that Bellingham is currently involved in negotiating several massive projects including one in the south of China and another in the Middle East.
'While Asia is certainly awakening, the Middle East is currently booming. There's a lot of marina and residential development going on there and Bellingham is making the most of this growth.'
He is also excited about Bellingham's status as the 'first marina manufacturing company to embrace carbon reduction'.
'We are now certified carbon neutral, which is a first for the industry.'
The 2007 Marina of the Year and Australia's first Carbon Neutral Marina is Soldiers Point Marina in Port Stephens
Totally rebuilt to world-class standards, the marina offers boatowners a state-of-the-art base, with a quality of services and facilities that are unrivaled on the eastern seaboard.
The Marina is managed by a team which recognises its responsibility in conserving this pristine environment for future generations.
In this environmental fashion, Soldiers Point Marina has become one of the leaders of the Clean Marina Program, a program which endeavours to protect our coastal and inland waterways. Soldiers Point Marina certification of NoCO2 under the Low Carbon Marina Initiative required it to undergo a comprehensive carbon footprint analysis with the Carbon Reduction Institute, and a subsequent implementation of customised carbon reduction strategies and the purchase of certified carbon credits.
More at www.soldiersptmarina.com.au
www.noco2.com.au
www.marinakeppelbay.com
by Jeni Bone 
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
Ballajura, WA
