Newest ambassador for Protecting Blue Whales
Santa Paula’s based Limoneira Co. is the newest ambassador for the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program. This initiative incentivizes shipping companies to voluntarily reduce their speeds along California’s coast to decrease air pollution, regional greenhouse gas emissions, underwater noise, and fatal ship strikes to endangered whales. It is a collaborative effort among the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and other air districts, California national marine sanctuaries, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and other nonprofit organizations.
Ambassadors are companies and ports committed to sustainable shipping practices and reducing the negative biodiversity impacts of their supply chains. They receive data on their ocean carriers’ performance in the program and the associated environmental benefits. This data can be used to demonstrate their sustainability commitments to customers and stakeholders and to facilitate more sustainable shipping choices in the future.
“Our commitment to sustainability is deeply embedded in our culture, and we view sustainability as a path toward continued long-term success,” said Limoneira President and CEO Harold Edwards. “We are responsible trustees in the protection and improvement of our environment that align with the goals of the Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.” Limoneira, one of the oldest citrus-growing organizations on the West Coast, is a longtime leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability innovation. The 131-year-old agribusiness is a leading producer of lemons, avocados, and other crops consumed worldwide. It has 10,500 acres of agricultural lands, real estate properties, and water rights in California, Arizona, Chile, and Argentina.
Other program ambassadors include the Port of Hueneme, Sonos, Nomad Goods, Peak Design, Summit Coffee, Way Basics, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Who Gives a Crap, The Block Logistics, and JAS Worldwide. The program helps global shipping companies better understand their environmental impacts and make changes to reduce them by verifying the cooperation of a company’s entire fleet of ships as well as individual ships and transits. In 2023, cooperating shipping companies reduced the risk of lethal ship strikes to whales by 58% and averaged a 5.4-decibel decrease in underwater noise per transit. Since the program’s launch 10 years ago, cooperating vessels have slowed down for more than 1.1 million nautical miles, resulting in reductions of more than 150,000 metric tons of regional greenhouse gases and 4,500 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. For more information, visit www.bluewhalesblueskies.org.
