Conservation & Ecology Tips for a greener supply chain
1.Understand your purchasing decisions by reviewing your current policy and drafting a simple one-page document outlining your ethical and environmental buying commitment
2.Do business with local suppliers and contractors who have their own sustainable policies. This will encourage more businesses to adopt such commitments and enhance reputation and awareness throughout the industry
3.Work with companies for opportunities to de-package items before they arrive at your site. Return packaging to the supplier whenever possible, to be reused and to reduce your waste handling charges
4.Minimise your overall consumption of products and materials and select those that have less packaging to avoid waste at source. Ensure packaging is recycled and recyclable to extend the product's life cycle. Reuse items across the facility whenever possible and follow the waste hierarchy of reduce - reuse - recycle - recover - landfill
5.Buy certain products in bulk if they can be stored, to reduce transportation. With hazardous substances, try to minimise consumption, store safely and securely only what you need, and dispose of according to legislation
6.Buy local, organic products that are in- season, to reduce delivery costs and road miles associated with their packaging and delivery
7.Stock certified products such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, FSC, MSC etc and other sustainability assured products. As awareness grows, consumers are increasingly equating sustainability with higher quality
Early morning at Elmwood Golf Course Bottom Line Benefits
Embodied energy from the manufacture, processing and transport of certain products is a major contributor to climate change, toxic emissions, and resource and habitat loss. These become increasing factors in the prices we pay for things, which cuts into profits. Business as usual in regards to buying and throwing away is also becoming the socially unacceptable face of consumerism. Finding ways to benefit local economic systems, so that many share the positive effects, can save money and decrease your carbon footprint.
Most clubs already follow legal waste requirements, whilst many go much further without being noticed. If you are one of these clubs, communicate what you do and aim for recognition as an industry leader. Your facility as a whole will benefit from the actions taken in the pro shop, clubhouse, restaurant and maintenance department.
8.Invest in the most water and energy efficient appliances and machinery. Maintain their life cycle, performance and efficiency by regular servicing. Explore the options for electric, solar and hybrid technology for the maintenance fleet, which is constantly improving to become cleaner, quieter and safer
9.The clubhouse is an ideal place for education and awareness campaigns on sustainability. Display signs throughout to let staff, members and visitors know about the supply chain initiatives taking place. Communicate the ethical and environmental responsibility of your business
GEO is an international not-for-profit, stakeholder funded organisation dedicated to helping the golf community embrace sustainable golf and provide practical solutions to issues of environmental, social and economic improvement.
To find out more about GEO, or to put your golf club OnCourse™ for sustainability and the GEO Certified™ ecolabel, visit:
The Leaderboard Four golf courses getting it right
Highlands Country Club, USA - A remote club located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, there is a strong
emphasis on local and highly valued suppliers, where the preference is given for all purchasing decisions. A strong and direct relationship also exists with nearby farmers to provide the club with locally produced organic foods. The club’s waste streams have been fully mapped and the recycling programme includes food waste from the kitchen, which is processed and used as an animal feed supplement.
Elmwood Golf Course, Scotland - The first golf course in the world to be ISO 14001 accredited, Elmwood has
demonstrated appropriate environmental and waste management for many years. Reduce, reuse and recycle is a major part of their philosophy - broken range balls have been used to backfill drainage, and old astroturf from local sports pitches reused on the driving range, rather than being sent to landfill. Their green purchasing policy has resulted in new course signage from sustainably managed woodlands, bottled water stock being discontinued, and a switch in painting hazard posts reduced disposal of spray cans from ten cans per week to two.
Viborg Golfklub, Denmark - Viborg’s
purchasing policy considers the development of a sustainable
environment and concerns every employee in the club with a responsibility to meet this goal. Whilst cost is understandably a consideration for buying products, Viborg also takes into account life cycle, materials, manufacture, employee working conditions, transport, service, resource efficiency and running costs. The local municipality in Denmark requires the club to provide all waste records, which helps result in minimal environmental impact from course and club maintenance.
The Venice Golf & Country Club, USA - This club in southwest Florida is a
model example of environmental and social
responsibility in the supply chain. Their comprehensive procurement policy for services and products is based on a wide range of public guidelines and a simple desire to minimise any negative effects to the environment and the people involved in the process. All departments within the club work to the same policy, contracting with other sustainability leaders and working to well defined criteria.
JUNE/JULY 2013 PC 51
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