Magic in Marrakech

Stakeholder Coalition Develops Best Practice for Water Management in Marrakech

Marrakech, the Moroccan Imperial city, is strategically located close to the Atlas mountains. In the early days, the city was the gateway to the Sahara desert and over the years, Marrakech developed into a unique touristic destination. An interesting destination also for golf tourism, showing the many golf courses around Marrakech. With 24.000ha, high summer temperatures, a total population of 950.000 people and nineteen courses, water is a valuable asset. To protect the city’s environment, a public-private collaboration was initiated to collect all the wastewater from the city, treat the water and reuse it for instance for irrigation of the Palm groves of Marrakech and golf courses.

Image from Complete Morocco

Vampire Energy Loss

Although the ROI on new energy saving technologies is pretty quick and justifies the investment, cutting the "Vampire Energy Loss" is an easy way to start saving some money at your facility without having to spend any money to do so. Vampire Energy Loss refers to energy that supplies power to electronic devices and appliances while they are "off" or in "standby"mode. Energy loss equals money loss. How much are we talking here?

The International Energy Association estimated in 2007 that standby/Vampire Energy Loss produced 1% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To put the figure into context, total air travel contributes less than 3% of global CO2 emissions.

Energy Efficiency Case Study by David Phipps

David Phipps is superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club. During his career at Stone Creek, David has been recognized for his environmental achievements including appearances on The Golf Channel; CNBC’s People, Planet, and Profit; and Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud”. He has received numerous awards including the Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District, "Cooperator of the Year" and the 2008 National Environmental Leaders in Golf Award presented by GCSAA and Golf Digest.

In this Case Study David discusses some of the ways he improved energy efficiency from maintenance areas to vending machines.
David Phipps Case Study - Energy Efficiency

Hawaii Prince Golf Course Solar Golf Cart Top ROI

I was searching for some info on the Return on Investment for a Golf Cart Solar Panel Roof Top for a Florida client of mine and came upon this article from Green My Fleet - Hawaii Prince Golf Course Solar Golf Cart Top ROI.

The Hawaii Prince GC review of their ROI is a fantastic case study for the rest of us. If you have any interest in these products definitely go to the above link,  use their formula by replacing their numbers with yours and follow along. In the end they've concluded the purchase would save them a lot of money, could it do the same for you?

The Quest for a "Zero Waste" Golf Course

Seems impossible doesn't it? Well not for Josh Heptig of Dairy Creek Golf Club. His efforts were recently the focus of this short article, where they discussed how he shares his "waste" in the form of fertilizer with 2 other courses Morro Bay Golf Course and Atascadero’s Chalk Mountain GC.

I was so impressed by this ambitious goal and great example of sustainability, that I contacted Josh to learn more of his efforts...

Also, don't forget to check out Josh's blog, he regularly gives updates on his efforts.

Solar: Fastest Growing Industry in USA

Did you know that Solar PV (Photovoltaic) is the fastest growing industry in America? I recently learned this from Joe Boyce, a very active entrepreneur in the American solar industry (www.solarvisionaries.org, www.gaiaworldwide.com). Joe's knowledge stems outside of just the US however, and he understands what segments have the capability and capacity to grow, golf being one of them! Although Joe's article is very industry focussed, it offers a great deal of perspective on this opportunity that golf courses are taking a renewed interest in. The following article originally appeared on RenewableEnergyWorld.com, and with Joe's permission I've reposted it here to help Turfhugger readers understand the changes in the energy industry.

Saturday March 26th at 8:30pm is Earth Hour, What is Your Golf Course Doing?

Superintendent Neil Ballingall and WWF panda mascot gets in a few practice shots
ahead of the night golf event on the Torrance Course at the
Fairmont St Andrews to mark WWF's Earth Hour

Earth Hour - Usually my wife and I will go for a walk to a spot overlooking the city and watch the lights turn off and join the neighbors in a howl.

Toronto's downtown skyline disappears, but the condos come up short. This year we'll be in Vancouver and I'm looking forward to being in a city that participates in this kind of stuff more actively... hopefully.

So what is Earth Hour? Do any golf courses participate in it? Check out some articles, and videos after the jump.

Greensmaster Lithium-Ion eFlex Revealed @GIS11

The "Greensmaster World Premier" took place this evening in Orlando #GIS11 (as it's known on Twitter), so we've decided to post details of Toro's latest "green" creation the Lithium-Ion Powered Greensmaster eFlex walk behind mower. First is an introduction to Toro's "EnergySmart" concept, and secondly we've listed some product details. Enjoy!

A Review of Forsta Filters

When Turfhugger talks about "sustainability" we are careful to not "greenwash". We feel that manufacturing footprint, efficiency during use, product life cycle (what happens once the product has been retired) and good corporate citizenship should be carefully considered when choosing a product for your golf course.

Using this methodology lets review Forsta Filters Inc's automatic self-cleaning screen filters for golf course irrigation systems.

Cutting Costs and Consumption with Andy Staples

Although I will not be attending the GCSAA Show and Educational Sessions myself, quite a few Turfhuggers will be there including Chris Tritabaugh of NCC who'll be providing regular updates from the floor. 

I skimmed through the program and noticed Andy Staples was speaking a few times at this years conference. Staples is the President of Golf Resource Group and has over 16 years of experience designing, building and managing golf courses, covering over 125 projects throughout the world. Trained as a Landscape Architect, Mr. Staples is an industry leader in sustainable practices for golf course development including energy and water efficiency programs.

I decided to contact Staples, to get a teaser of his three presentations at this years show.

Jacobsen's Electric Arsenal

One of my favorite things in the world is sipping my first coffee of the day while doing greens, I've been lucky enough to do this a few times this summer. Besides the scenery I was spoiled because all I heard was a light electric hummm, not the heavy firing of gas or diesel engines, after all it's early. Of course I'm also partial to the technology because of how cost effective and efficient it is. Are their weight issues still? Yes. But do we need to cut operating costs and reduce environmental footprint? Yes. So it's a trade for the odd time you'll have to send out the walkers while it's really wet and squishy.

I've collected a whole bunch of info, video's and reviews for the Jacobsen line of electric and hybrid mowers. I'll update this post and re-post as I gather more reviews, so be sure to send me your thoughts on these products.

Lithium vs Lead Acid

Although the videos posted below are advertisements they bring a pressing issue to light, Lead Acid batteries are difficult to dispose, heavy, charge slowly and generally less efficient than newer Lithium Ion battery cells. Sure there have been improvements to the technology, but Lithium still seems to be leading the way.

Check out this article reviewing the pro's and con's between Lead Acid and Lithium Ion batteries.

Check out this power savings calculator by GRRReen Power Management and find out how much money your facility can save by converting.

Curious about the recycling process? Go here.

Toro Goes Eco: The Hydrogen Workman

I always love when I show up at a club and they have an electric Workman ready for me. So quiet, so nice. One of the draw backs to electric vehicles are the weight of the batteries, which gives Hydrogen a leg up. However, Hydrogen is notoriously expensive and production can be energy intensive itself. I think there's promise, and so do others as just back on October 30th Toro became one step closer to make this a reality:

"Toro caught the attention of ATK’s Center for Energy and Aerospace Innovation (CEAI), based in Ronkonkoma, New York. Toro’s Center for Advanced Turf Technology (CATT) will assist in designing two operational machines based on the Toro Workman chassis and similar to what the company successfully demonstrated in New York." - Press Release


We'll follow up with a hands-on review of this technology and product. In the mean time check out this promo video by Toro and some background info after the jump.

What is Geothermal?

I'm currently working with a client on a project to totally "green" their facility. We're exploring many options, including Geothermal heating and cooling for the clubhouse. Here are a few basic videos describing the concept, return on investment (ROI) and the installation process.

Eco-Facilities: BMP Manual - Iowa Waste Reduction on the Golf Course

The Iowa Waste Reduction on the Golf Course manual is a great example of a regional specific guide to waste management on the golf course. The guide is fairly basic, but goes beyond the usual golf oriented material to describe the proper disposal methods of waste products we find on courses.

Robotic Turf Staff Always Show Up On Time

We've seen a rapid improvement in turf maintenance vehicles over the last few years. Electric mowers are becoming more popular because of their quiet, consistent reel speed and the rising cost of fuel. Some companies are looking at going even further and offering a robotic product that is pre-programed to mow at particular heights, speeds, patterns and frequencies. Efficiency is a good thing, but how far down this path do we want to go especially when robots are notorious for causing job losses. Here's a list of machines most likely to replace or at least help turf staff in the future.

7 Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption on Golf Courses

Turfhugger recently met with Tom Mead, the charismatic golf sustainability consultant from Traverse City Michigan. "Conservation" might as well be Toms middle name, so we asked him to put together a list of ways the average golf course can reduce their energy consumption, and included a few links and articles to expand on some points. Enjoy, and thanks Tom!

Lets count them down from #7

2010 Deutsche Bank Championship - A PR Case Study

I've seen quite a few articles describing the green efforts at this weekends PGA events at TPC Boston. Although I was impressed to see the following initiatives on the events website (even though some of them have nothing to do with golf) I couldn't help but notice they left out a number of accomplishments and initiatives that should have  been the main focus.

This Week in Green Golf

PrideSports is the worlds leading producer of golf tees and the last remaining American manufacturer of wooden golf tees, has announced a business partnership with International Wood Fuels to share production facilities in Burnham Maine. This new partnership will:

• 99% of the wood bi-products created from producing billions of golf tees is reclaimed and reused to create energy in the plant or is recycled for other industries.
  
• A significant amount of his bi-product will be turned into renewable-energy wood pellets that will be used to heat homes, schools and businesses that would have otherwise burned fossil fuels.
• This partnership will be capable of saving up to 133,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually through the manufacturing of wooden golf tees and the clean-burning wood pellets.
  
• The proximity of the IWF facility will eliminate the need to transport these products and will conserve thousands of gallons of diesel fuel annually.
• Will continue to use of 100% Maine Hardwoods

Joe Zeller, President/COO of PrideSports says "Our company accepted the challenge to set the benchmark for eco-friendliness and always finds ways to exceed our already high conservation standards. The Burnham facility is a shining example of how a U.S. factory can thrive in a competitive world economy and at the same time act in an environmentally responsible manner." More

Australias oldest golf course gets a water friendly facelift, read more about the renovations at Ballarat GC here.



Weed pulling and Quick Cupplers courtesy of the GCSAA "Sustainable Moments" video.


I've covered Justin Timberlakes new Mirimichi Course already, but here's a simple breakdown of the environmental features of the property from their site.

"Mirimichi is the first golf course in the country to be designated a Certified Audubon International Classic Sanctuary. As part of the Classic Program, Mirimichi implemented sustainable resource management principles that incorporate wildlife conservation, habitat rehabilitation and enhancement, water conservation and water quality protection. The Audubon International certification requires a yearly audit to ensure that Mirimichi continues to implement these natural resource management principles. All Mirimichi employees are thoroughly trained in environmental stewardship."

"...is also working to add a fleet of electric golf carts powered by solar panels — as well as a future LEED-certified clubhouse and food and beverage operations that use recycled and biodegradable materials. Eventually, Mirimichi hopes to become the world’s first golf course to calculate its own carbon footprint."


Other Articles Of Note:
Pump House Energy Use - Golf Course Management
What no Super ever wants to happen.

Who is the Environmental Institute for Golf?

What began as a modest $200 scholarship awarded to a student in 1955 has evolved over the past 50 years into a collaborative effort of the environmental and golf communities directed at strengthening the compatibility of the game of golf with the natural environment. As the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Environmental Institute for Golf relies upon the support of many individuals and organizations to fund programs and projects that help golf courses fulfill the environmental, recreational and economic needs of their communities.

The Institute is fortunate to have more than 9,000 active donors, representing each of the United States and 67 countries worldwide, supporting its efforts. The Institute funds more than $1 million annually in environmental programs, including scientific research, education, information collection, outreach and scholarships.

So what does the EIG provide to golf courses?
A ton of great resources! Click on the topics below for a great collection of Case Studies, Research Papers and Advertisements:

Surface Water Quality

Integrated Plant Management

Golf Course Siting, Design and Construction

Wildlife and Habitat Management

Energy and Waste Management

Ground Water Protection

Water Use and Conservation

All Case Studies