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Sustainability in Golf…The Business of the Green

Check Out the 2014 Event
Experience Green in partnership with the Sea Pines Resort will host Sustainability in Golf… the Business of Green, September 25-27, 2014 at the Plantation Golf Club in the Sea Pines Resort. The three-day offering includes a Symposium, Zero Waste Workshop and Community Walk, and will welcome leading experts from the golf industry from the US and Canada, including Pinehurst, the Toro Company, Dairy Creek Zero Waste Park (the first golf facility in the world to achieve the Zero Waste status) and more.  The effort seeks to educate and inspire current and future generations of leaders, for a shared sense of strategic stewardship to generate profit with purpose, and will focus on the business case for sustainability.

Friday, September 26, 2014, the event will offer a Zero Waste Workshop for Hospitality, Events and Golf, and invites restaurateurs, event managers, facility directors and all hospitality operators to learn the environmental and economic benefits and impacts of reducing solid waste.  The average person generates 4.4lbs of solid waste daily.  Landfills are fast approaching capacity (with all types of trash), and not only is that an environmental concern, but taxpayers will be responsible for funding the alternatives.  The criteria and how to implement a Zero Waste program will be explained through case studies and onsite learning at the Sea Pines Resort (a facility that trimmed $40k from its waste management costs in year one of implementing a recycling program).  The workshop will address commodity mining, sorting, food waste processing, water reuse and vermin-culture with benefits such as reduced costs, decreased environmental impact and image enhancement.

The Symposium on September 25, 2014 will include panel sessions that address measurement to support the return on investment, or business case, for sustainability.  It will highlight case studies such as the Pinehurst No. 2 Restoration, with special guest, Bob Farren, Director of Golf and Maintenance at Pinehurst, as well as award winning Director of Grounds, Anthony Williams, of the Stone Mountain Golf Club, in a session that will focus on golf as a solution to build community and positively impact the environment and economy.  The 2014 Symposium will also include a series of “Seven for Sustainability” (seven minute presentations) by registrants about specific initiatives such as Golf Facility Farming, Guest Preferences for Green, and Equipment Goes Electric.  It will also feature the RBC Next Steps survey to assess the current state of sustainability in the golf organizations represented.

Continuing education credits will be available for members of the GCSAA, CMAA, LPGA and PGA.  The 2013 event welcomed attendees from 11 states, Canada and Scotland. The two day registration for the Symposium and Zero Waste workshop is $299 per attendee, and is open through September 22, 2014; options for one day attendance is also available. www.sustainabilityingolf.org.

 It is clear that ‘the way it has always been done’ may not address current challenges for the golf industry, such as limited resources, changing demographics, preferences of multi-generational golfers and club members. Sustainable practices can reduce costs, enhance image, engage the community and be a contributor to societal change. The event invites all segments of the industry (superintendents, pros, owners, managers, etc.) for discussion to promote industry wide collaboration. – Teresa Wade, founder and executive director of Experience Green

The general public is invited to participate in a Community Walk to benefit the American Diabetes Association, First Tee of the Lowcountry and Sea Pines Forest Preserve at 9am Saturday, September 27, 2014 on the Ocean Course and beach in Sea Pines. The 2.8 mile scenic route will include a scavenger hunt with seven education stations for kids of all ages, and will finish at the new Sea Pines Beach Club with activities, prizes and music by Monty Jett.  Human and canine family and friends are invited to walk to build community and connect health, environment and golf.  Advanced registration is requested at www.experiencegreen.org, with a suggested $7 donation per walker.

According to We Are Golf, the golf industry contributes $68.8 billion and 2 million jobs to the American economy, provides green space for wildlife habitat, captures and filters water, raises more money for charity that all other sports combined, and is an excellent source of exercise and social interaction.  Hilton Head Island is home to 23 golf courses and the RBC Heritage PGA TOUR event, both are significant contributors to the area’s identity and economy.  The three day Sustainability in Golf offering supports evidence based decision making for action to impact the triple bottom line: to benefit the planet, its people and prosperity – the trifecta for sustainability.

This event is made possible through partnerships with leading organizations including the National Golf Course Owners Association, World Golf Foundation, RBC, Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association, Coligny Hilton Head, Graves Construction, Bishops Gate Golf Academy, Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association, Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association, the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Superintendent Magazine, Smith Turf and Irrigation, Grainger, Rain Bird, Island Plumbing of Hilton Head, Palmetto Electric and many others. www.sustainabilityingolf.org

Experience Green, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to build sustainable communities.  We accomplish this through efforts that educate through experiences, connect community resources and advance sustainable development.  To schedule an interview with Teresa Wade please call 615.957.0888 or email teresa@experiencegreen.org