The Celtic Manor Resort - Environmental Policy

Celtic Manor will be hosting this years Ryder Cup in early October and there's a lot of environmental buzz surrounding the event. We'll be posting links to articles, interviews and case studies as we get close to the event, in the mean time here is a copy of the Celtic Manors Environmental Policy which includes info on their Carbon Management Programme, the recent Building of the course and Future Commitments. Celtic Manor is registered in the Golf Environment Organisation's on-line certification programme click here to see the certification.

The Celtic Manor Resort recognises it has moral and social responsibilities to the environment and is committed to developing an environmentally responsible business. We appreciate that environmental management is an issue of ongoing concern for our customers, staff and suppliers and know that it requires constant reassessment, monitoring and continual improvement.

An environmental management system has been developed following the ‘Green Dragon’ Environmental Standard framework. This helps the Resort oversee its operations and reduce its impact on the environment. The Celtic Manor Resort is one of 50 companies implementing the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management programme, which aims to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

Since beginning work with the Carbon Management programme in 2004, environmental improvements at The Celtic Manor Resort have included:

• 12 per cent reduction in usage of electricity and gas
• Fitting of low-wattage bulbs to over 10,000 lights throughout the Resort
• Installation of timed heating, lighting and cooling equipment based on room occupation
• Attainment of Green Dragon Level 4
• Severnside Recycling Best New Recycler of the Year 2005
• Runner-up, Carbon Trust Wales Environment Awards 2006
• 2007 Recycled: 131 tons of glass, 43 tons of cardboard, 5 tons of plastic and 4 tons of paper

Case Study: The Twenty Ten Course Build

Building the new Twenty Ten Course, the first course in history to be purpose-built for The Ryder Cup, posed significant environmental challenges.

The Usk Valley location is a Site of Special Scientific Interest as the natural habitat for a number of species including dormice, toads and otters. Land at The Celtic Manor Resort is also an area of considerable archaeological value within a mile of the old Roman fortress town of Caerleon.

The Celtic Manor Resort worked closely with wildlife agencies, Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historical environment division, and Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust to protect both the ecology of the site and its archaeological integrity.

The Resort:

• Adhered to a total of 42 planning conditions on the build
• Changed Twenty Ten Course plans a dozen times as new archaeological finds were uncovered, including Roman pottery kilns, villa foundations and graves
• Assisted with logging and documentation of archaeological finds, many of which were covered back over with earth to prevent erosion. Others are being catalogued and will return to museums at Caerleon, Cardiff and Aberystwyth
• Constructed overhead road crossings for dormice following a six-month study of dormouse colonies
• Constructed underground road crossings for toads
• Implemented a 6-metre exclusion zone on the banks of the River Usk to preserve otter holts
• Re-located badger setts

In addition The Twenty Ten Course has seen:

• The return of indigenous grasses, plants and wildlife since conversion from intensive farmland
• Fish, amphibians and wild fowl thrive in and around the man-made lakes

In common with the other golf courses at The Celtic Manor Resort, maintenance of The Twenty Ten Course features:

• 100 per cent self-sustained irrigation. Rain water collects in a specially-constructed irrigation reservoir or is pumped up from lakes on The Twenty
• Ten. No water is taken from the mains or water table
• No use of pesticides or herbicides. Only environmentally-friendly fertilisers are used on fairways and greens
• The Celtic Manor Resort is signed up to the Committed to Green Golf Course Programme (Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Association)

The Twenty Ten course is also registered in the Golf Environment Organisation's on-line certification programme click here to see our certification.

Future Commitment

The Celtic Manor Resort is committed to continuing to improve its environmental performance. The Resort’s policy is to:

• Record and monitor all environmental impact, including new projects, and set specific impact reduction targets
• Comply with all current legislation and aim to meet future legislative requirements
• Minimise waste and also seek to recycle as much as is economically practical and ensure the remainder is disposed of responsibly
• Integrate environmental objectives into relevant business decisions in a cost effective manner
  Require staff to address environmental responsibilities within the framework of normal operating procedures
• Influence suppliers of services and goods to reduce their impact on the environment, only use suppliers that have good environmental practices
• Enhance awareness of relevant issues among guests
• Publish information on environmental performance
• Commit to the prevention of pollution
• Develop environmental response plans for major incidents in order to minimise their environmental impact

Visit their website for more details: The Celtic Manor Resort - Environmental Policy