Under the Blue Flag: Clean beaches in 39 countries around the world

Look for the blue flag before you take the plunge. That’s the sign that the beach or marina you’re visiting meets environmental standards established and monitored annually by the International Blue Flag Program, headquartered in Copenhagen.

The program, which originated in France in 1985, administers spot checks of candidate sites, ascertaining water quality and the absence of hazardous waste. A jury composed of environmentalists from groups such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the European Union for Coastal Conservation then makes the final selections.

The U.S. doesn’t participate in the program,  but lots of other places do. This year more than 3,300 beaches and marinas in 39 countries have won blue flags, including Gdansk Marina in Poland, Bikini Beach in Cape Town, South Africa, and Sperlonga in Italy. A complete list is available at www.blueflag.org.

—Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo: Sperlonga, an Italian Blue Flag beach near Rome. Credit: Susan Spano/Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 5:55 am by Susan Spano and is filed under Eco-Travel, Europe, France, Germany, Global, Healthy Traveler, Islands & Beaches, Italy, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.