North Sailing awarded the Environmental Recognition Awards 2015

 

North Sailing received today the Environmental Recognition 2015 awarded by the Icelandic Tourist Board. Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Commerce presented the award at the annual Icelandic Tourist Board ceremony in Akureyri. The recognition has been awarded for 21 years in a row, since 1995.

 

_{Guðbjartur Ellert Jónsson, Managing Director, receives the recognition. To his left, Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Minister of Industry and Commerce and to his right Ólöf Ýrr Atladóttir and Örn Þór Halldórsson from the Icelandic Tourist Board.} 

 

“Environmental issues have been an important element of the tourism industry and we all know that the Icelandic nature is the industry’s most precious resource. Environmentally responsible operation within the industry is essential and recently these issues have been prominent and companies have realized the importance of sustainability and respect towards the Icelandic nature to preserve our most precious resource because all of our actions affect our environment in one way or another.” said Ragnheiður Elín during the award presentation.

 

North Sailing notably effective

North Sailing was nominated for the recognition due to its goals and success in enhancing sustainable tourism, but the company has reached diverse and notable success in the field. In recent years, the company has worked, closely with other Icelandic and Nordic partners, on an new electric system where wind power is used to charge the batteries on board one of its ships, Opal, for its electric engine.

 

Unique project globally

With the utilization of green energy, North Sailing has reached tremendous success in the development of sustainable whale watching and is considered one of the predominant entrepreneurs in environmentally sound sailing. The project, which is unique on a worldwide basis, is intended to benefit, eventually, to benefit the entire North Sailing fleet, but the company has created its unique position by preserving one of Iceland’s cultural heritage, the Icelandic oak boats.

 

_{Opal sailing in Greenland using the wind power to charge its batteries.} 

 

Respect for the resource

North Sailing realizes the importance of the resource, the whales around Iceland, to its operations and strives not to disturb the whales during its whale watching tours and follows a specific code and protocols in how to approach and behave around the whales.

 

VAKINN

North Sailing holds a bronze badge within the quality and environment system VAKINN and is this years only nominee that has reached that status. Ragnheiður Elín mentioned that it is extremely important that the Icelandic tourism industry is united and works together towards improved quality and environmentally sound operations. “VAKINN strives towards this goal, to unite tourism operators with emphasis on environmental issues and make the great tourism sector even better.

 

This is the second time North Sailing receives this recognition. In 1996, the newly founded North Sailing received the recognition for the renovation of its first boat, Knörrinn.