Clean Regattas

Clean Regattas is the world’s leading sustainability certification for all on-the-water, near-the-water, and water-loving events. Since the program’s inception in 2006, over 3,400 events have shown their commitments to sustainability by hosting Clean Regattas. This program has reached over 850,000 sailors and attendees in 53 countries. Clean Regattas is a free, self-assessment tool with powerful resources and support that awards certification levels from Participant to Platinum.

We invite you to join the growing Clean Regattas community and follow these steps to ensure a successful event!

1. Register Your Event

• Click here to create an account and officially register your event. We’d be happy to welcome you to our growing community and add you to our list of current events. If you are looking for step by step instructions on how to register and certify your event, check out this document.

2. Select Best Practices

• The Clean Regattas Toolkit, which is available for download after you register, outlines a total of 20 Best Practices. These action items are the most impactful ways you can make meaningful changes at your event. Select those you plan to accomplish and check them off on the online registration page. From there, you will learn what level of certification your efforts will earn.

3. Organize Your Green Team

• Coordinating a Clean Regatta on your own is near impossible, and defeats one of the purposes of hosting a Clean Regatta: involving the community. Find a core group of people dedicated to sustainability to help you plan, communicate and execute your initiatives.

4. Publicize Your Efforts

• Communication is key when undertaking a Clean Regatta. Let your participants and attendees know about your sustainability efforts ahead of time and highlight them on your organization's website, social media channels and in email communications to participants. Don't hesitate to repeat your message - repetition helps to instill lasting behavior change.

5. Document Your Success

• At Sailors for the Sea, we love to receive stories of success from regatta organizers and look forward to sharing these achievements with the greater Clean Regattas community. During your event, be sure to take lots of photos of your Best Practices in action, collect quotes from participants, and any data or metrics on your efforts. You can share these stories when you log in to officially certify your event. We can't wait to hear all about it!

6. Get Certified

• Log into your account, check off the Best Practices you completed, and check the box marked “Complete – Submit for Certification”. Your official certificate will be emailed to you only after this step is complete. For regattas aiming to earn Platinum Level Certification, you will also need to complete our Sustainability Reporting Form once the event has occurred. It will require pictures and descriptions of each Best Practice achieved. You must certify your event within the year that it occurred. Events happening in December have until the end of January of the following year to certify.