ST. IGNACE — This week, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry received official certification that they are helping keep the environment safe and clean.
Shepler’s joined the Green Marine environmental certification program late last summer. Green Marine’s goal is to guide the maritime industry towards environmental excellence.
To obtain certification, Shepler’s assessed the environmental performance of its fleet of seven ferries. They targeted greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, oily water treatment, waste management and ship recycling.
Shepler’s says it’s vital to keep the environment in mind while providing ferry service.
“Without our waters in our beautiful area up here we wouldn’t have a business or a place for people to go on vacation. So, it’s very important that we put the environment in the same bucket as we do our guests because we are the ones who are using it, so [we’ve] got to protect it,” said Lindsey Rancilio of Shepler’s.
The company says the process is transparent and rigorous with results independently verified every two years and each participant’s performance published annually.
