COLORS

• Columbia Yacht Club (COLYC) has a water refill station located on the rail deck and has proper signage to notify racers. • Additionally, COLYC does not sell single-use water bottles, but instead sells aluminum water bottles with screw tops to allow for racers to reuse at our water refill station.

• COLYC does not use plastic straws, but instead uses Agave Fiber Straws. 100% NATURAL - Mexican Agave drinking straws are made from natural Agave (Mexican Tequila Plant), making them one of the most sustainable renewable drinking straws available today.

• COLYC uses bamboo plates for our buffets at the regattas and reusable glass/plates for indoor dinning. • All silverware used was biodegradable.

• Skippers received a reusable drawstring bag with reusable regatta cubs. • All regattas are buffet style and served within the club, which does not require any bags for us to transport.

• COLYC reward regatta winners with flags that captions enjoy flying and occasionally alcohol bottle.

• COLYC shares Sailors for the Sea’s conservation message within the yacht club. We promote the green boater pledge within our weekly emails and we are working on building out a public website to share our great efforts and stories. • COLYC Conservation Committee website: https://sites.google.com/drakedata.io/colyc-conservationcommittee/home?authuser=0

• COLYC is teamed up with Sailors for the Sea not only for green regattas, but also for a green boater pledge competition between other yacht clubs in Chicago. We also worked with Alliance for the Great Lakes for a harbor clean-up

• COLYC had electric signs promoting the regatta and had signage posted throughout the regatta party on our sustainable efforts and promoting the green boater pledge and the COLYC Conservation Committee Website

• COLYC works with local venders to locally source as many food offerings as we can. Here is a list of our current local venders: - Nichols Farms - Mick Klug Farms - Werp Farms - Shawn Michelle Ice Cream - Heaven's Honey - Agave Straw Co - Verterra Fallen Leaf Products - GFS Compostable Cups - Fortune Gourmet - Wabash Seafood - Midwest Produce - Plantswitch

• At COLYC, the Conservation Committee is our designated team that promotes conservation on our waters and organizes volunteer events. At the regatta after party, we where walking around promoting our green regatta and conservation efforts that we do at the club.

• COLYC uses our website, CASRA's website, and Club Spot online platform to post all Notice of Race (NOR), sailing instructions, registration, and results. We do not print out any of the details to give to captions, but we instead encourage them to use their phone/tablet to access the information. Link: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/T5201A6alb

• COLYC promotes the proper disposal of oil as we have a designated oil drop-off canaster on our dock for racers to use as needed. We also follow all federal and state laws to make sure that no toxins leak out into Lake Michigan. • We directed boaters to our website for more details and tips: https://sites.google.com/drakedata.io/colyc-conservationcommittee/green-boater-tips?authuser=0

We have added details on our conservation website to promote local wildlife and the efforts we can do to help: https://sites.google.com/drakedata.io/colyc-conservationcommittee/wildlife-habitat?authuser=0

• COLYC offered vegetarian options, such as salads and different sea food options, for both days at the regatta party.

• COLYC promotes alternative transpiration with outdoor and indoor bike rakes, Divvy bike station close by, and use of CTA trains and buses. • Car pooling is always encouraged to the regattas if sailors are driving.

• COLYC is conscious of the boats we send out to set markers and only use the boats that are necessary. The committee boat for each course is anchored and engine turned off.

At Columbia Yacht Club, our commitment to Clean Regattas continues to grow. In 2025, we took a major step forward by pledging to make all of our hosted regattas certified Clean Regattas. This club-wide initiative reflects not only our pride in past conservation efforts, but our intent to set a strong example for others in the sailing community. We've also seen growing momentum around our Conservation Committee, with new volunteers joining who are passionate about protecting the waters we sail on. By embedding sustainability into our culture and growing our volunteer base, we aim to inspire lasting environmental stewardship both on and off the water.