Limoneira joins vessel speed-reduction program
Santa Paula firm is Protecting Blue Whales and Blue
Skies ambassador
(SANTA PAULA, Calif. — June 19, 2024) Santa Paula-based
Limoneira Co. is the newest ambassador for the Protecting
Blue Whales and Blue Skies program.
The program incentivizes shipping companies to voluntarily
reduce their speeds along California’s coast to reduce air
pollution, regional greenhouse gas emissions, underwater
noise and fatal ship strikes to endangered whales. It is a
collaborative effort among 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 united by their
commitment to ship more sustainably and reduce 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."
One of the oldest citrus-growing organizations on the West
Coast, Limoneira is a longtime leader in commitment to
environmental stewardship and sustainability innovation. The
131-year-old agribusiness is a leading producer of lemons,
avocados and other crops that are consumed throughout the
world. It has 10,500 acres of agricultural lands, real
estate properties and water rights in California, Arizona,
Chile and Argentina.
Other program ambassadors are 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 impacts on the environment and make changes
to reduce them by verifying 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 gasses and 4,500 tons of emissions of
oxides of nitrogen.
For more information, visit
www.bluewhalesblueskies.org.
