Photograph by WCI Communities, Inc.
Feature: On the Green
November 1, 2006
In the words of the late Rodney Dangerfield, who played that classic country
club golfer from the iconic movie Caddyshack, golf gets no respect. At least
that has been the long-standing case from the environmental point of view. And
it is understandable, considering golf’s historic reputation as an elitist
sport and the common perception that courses do nothing but consume gluttonous
amounts of precious water and dangerous chemicals.
The Masters Tournament played each year at Augusta National, home to one of the
most exclusive private clubs in the world, does not help matters when it
broadcasts images of beautiful blooming azaleas and lush fairways and
greens—strengthening the public’s notion that all golf courses look like this,
or should. Golf insiders even refer to this as the “Augusta National syndrome.”
But golfers—and a growing number of nongolfers—are beginning to understand that
many golf courses are actually more friend than foe of the environment. One
environmental organization that understands this well is Audubon International,
a nonprofit agency based in Selkirk, N.Y., that started registering golf courses
in its Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program in 1991. Today, the program has
2,243 Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary members, 2,135 of which are golf courses,
according to program manager Joellen Zeh.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
WCI’s Raptor Bay in Bonita Springs, Fla., by Raymond Floyd. (Click image to enlarge)
Of the 2,135 golf course members, 576 have the distinction of being Certified
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, an honor members earn by implementing and
documenting extensive efforts in five environmental quality areas: Wildlife and
Habitat Management, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, Water
Quality Management, and Outreach and Education.
Not to be confused with the famous National Audubon Society, Audubon
International is the brainchild of career environmentalist Ron Dodson. A onetime
regional vice president for the National Audubon Society, Dodson started his own
group after growing tired of the “incendiary, anti-growth rhetoric of old.
“After 20 years of environmental advocacy, I realized we weren’t moving the
agenda,” says Dodson, whose organization also certifies entire real estate
developments, small towns or practically any entity committed to the concept of
sustainable living. “I spent years suing people, and I kept seeing the same
people over and over,” he says. “I thought maybe we needed a different
approach.”
That approach was to become environmental partners, rather than adversaries,
with the very interests often portrayed as eco-enemies: real estate and golf
course developers. The changed attitude worked.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Old Palm, another Floyd/WCI course, in Palm Beach. Photograph by John Johnson Photography/WCI Communities, Inc. (Click image to enlarge)
A year after Audubon International began certifying golf courses, it started the
popular Signature (Cooperative Sanctuary) Program for courses in the planning
and developmental stages. The Signature Program, comprising Bronze, Silver and
Gold certification, entails a much more comprehensive level of environmental
planning and standards, and a significant $9,500 to $12,000 fee to join.
advertisement
