NEW ORLEANS - Green Marine, a North American environmental certification program for the marine, port and terminal industry, officially recognized the Port of New Orleans recently as a certified Green Port. The Port of New Orleans is the 8th U.S. Port to reach certification in the voluntary environmental certification program, which was created for the North American Maritime Industry. “Green Marine provided us with an action plan to help the Port reach the high environmental standards we set for ourselves,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. “While we are proud of the certification, we will continue to work diligently to be a more environmentally friendly organization.” Green Marine certification is a rigorous, transparent and inclusive initiative that addresses nine key environmental issues. Participants are ship owners, ports, terminals, Seaway corporations and shipyards based in Canada and the United States. The program encourages its participants to reduce their environmental footprint by taking concrete actions. To receive certification, participants must benchmark their annual environmental performance through Green Marine’s environmental program’s exhaustive self-evaluation guides. They also must have their results reviewed by an accredited independent verifier and agree to publication of their individual results. “The Port of New Orleans is recognized internationally as a leader in cargo and cruise operations,” said Amelia Pellegrin, the Port’s environmental manager. “As we continue to grow, we want to do so in an environmentally friendly way and serve as a leader in green initiatives and programs within our jurisdiction and beyond.” For more information on the Green Marine program visit:  http://www.green-marine.org/