Justin Timberlake’s Golf Course is Actually Semi-Green
July 28, 2009
When we heard that Justin Timberlake was going to be creating a ‘green’ golf course called ‘Mirimichi’, we were skeptical. Golf courses aren’t exactly known for being environmentally friendly in any capacity, particularly because of all the water and chemicals generally used to keep that grass green and lush. Then there’s the fact that golf courses usually displace wildlife.
According to Ecorazzi, Timberlake’s golf course – which had its grand opening over the weekend- is actually quite an impressive effort.
Since the grand opening over the weekend, even more has been revealed regarding the extent of the 28-year-old singer’s mission to create a site where “golf and nature exist in harmony.” For instance, only 85 of the 200 acres are ever mowed — leaving the rest to transition over to “native grasses”. Also, if you’re on the staff, prepare to love weeding — by hand. To limit the use of chemicals, a large portion of the weeds that do grow are pulled out using manual labor.
And speaking of chemicals — as Mirimichi is the first in the nation to be designated as a certified Audubon International Classic Sanctuary – its use of synthetic fertilizers is strictly limited. Surrounding each water feature is an invisible 25-foot barrier where Audubon rules ban the use of chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Where they are needed, the course uses organic or slow-release products to cut down on runoff throughout the property.
According to a Memphis paper, Mirimichi will use a mix of 80 percent native plants and 20 percent exotics.
All that, and it’s still got all of the features that golfers want in a course – deep pit bunkers, elevated greens, lakes and creeks on 7,400 yards of land. We gotta hand it to Timberlake – he pulled it off. Mirimichi is the greenest golf course we’ve ever heard of.
Link [Ecorazzi]
Long Lasting Tees Don’t Make Golf Eco-Friendly
June 17, 2008
I don’t know much about golf, but apparently wood tees don’t last very long – they splinter and leave litter all over the grass. A company called Eco Golf has created the Endurance Tee, which outlasts wood tees 10 to 1.
Since the Endurance tee is so long lasting tee box litter is virtually eliminated.
The final benefit of the endurance tee is that it is manufactured with degradable materials. The tee will breakdown over time and when placed in active compost the process is greatly accelerated.
We’re glad to see golfers greening up their tees, but considering they’re using it in the middle of a giant carpet of pesticide filled grass cut by giant gas mowers sitting where natural lands used to be, it feels a bit small. It’s akin to a NASCAR team switching their cell phone service over to Working Assets- a nice gesture but a drop in the bucket in the big picture.
Golf could definitely get a lot greener. Many golfers and golf course owners are taking steps to help. While we’d prefer an untouched plot of land to a golf course any day, golf courses can provide certain environmental benefits in urban and suburban areas as a substitute for more concrete and asphalt – or to clean up disused sites like quarries and mines. We know that golf courses aren’t going to disappear, so we’d like to see more care being taken in making sure they aren’t all chemical-filled resource hoggers. You can get more info about greener golf at Golf and the Environment and Beyond Pesticides.
Link[EcoGolf] via [iGreenSpot]
Trump Wants to Build Golf Course in Scotland ‘for the Environment’
June 14, 2008
Donald Trump gets a lot of flak, and he likes it that way – it’s attention. I really believe that his bizarre hair is a carefully orchestrated part of a highly choreographed persona that he has created. How else can you explain that this billionaire, despite much teasing from the public, won’t let a stylist near his hair? Maybe he’s hiding a golden egg under there. Anyway, The Donald is creating controversy once again by stating that the golf course he wants to create on a stretch of untouched land in Scotland is ‘green’.
The Independent has it:
Donald Trump wants to create the world’s finest golf course on an unspoilt stretch of northern Scotland. Merely creating a “world class” course would not be good enough; it has to be better than the Old Course at St Andrews, he claimed yesterday.
The US billionaire was giving evidence at the opening day of a public inquiry into his plan to develop a site that includes sand dunes that are home to a rich variety of wildlife, on the Menie estate near Aberdeen. Mr Trump presented himself as an ecologically concerned entrepreneur, but when he described himself as “an environmentalist”, the reaction from the public gallery was so loud that the inquiry chairman, James McCulloch, demanded silence.
Mr Trump claimed his golf course was more likely to improve the local environment than damage it. He suggested the site was not very attractive in its present condition, though he agreed that it had the potential to be one of the finest sites in the world.
Of course, environmentalists have objected, and the development was turned down by the council in Aberdeenshire. Trump, in return, threatened that turning it down would be bad for Scotland because it would discourage future investors. Scotland’s first minister is still trying to bring the project to fruition, noting that it would create jobs.
Perhaps the birds that Trump’s golf course would displace can take up residence in his hair instead.
Link [The Independent]
Photo credit: Flickr user azrainman
