Initiatives include focus on sustainability, improvements to air, water
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed a partnership agreement recently with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) pledging a commitment to environmental stewardship and environmental sustainability on golf courses everywhere.
“Our biggest advances in protecting human health and the environment come from working together,” said EPA Mid Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “This partnership with GCSAA will go a long way in benefitting surrounding communities while also enhancing our ongoing dedication to greenspaces, clean water and healthy air.”
During an event at the Langston Golf Course in Washington, D.C., officials from EPA and GCSAA signed a Memorandum of Understanding that enhances their joint commitment to share information on environmental issues, best practices and industry challenges to promote best management practices on golf properties to protect and enhance the environment.
“This partnership between the EPA and GCSAA is the culmination of decades of collaboration and environmental stewardship on golf courses,” said GCSAA Chief Executive Officer Rhett Evans. “By implementing science-based best management practices, golf course superintendents have made theses public greenspaces more sustainable than ever before.”
The MOU outlines partnership opportunities for the following priority EPA areas:
- Environmental Stewardship, including controlling stormwater run-off and sustainability
- Environmental Justice
- Improved pollinator sites
- Children’s and Public Health
- Environmental and STEM Education
GCSAA is the professional association for the men and women who manage and maintain the game’s most valuable resource — the golf course. With 19,000 members worldwide, the association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and improve communities through the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf.
Some of the key practices golf courses engage in include controlling stormwater runoff, establishing more pollinator sites to improve bee habitats, preserving public greenspace and sustainable pest management.
Well-managed golf courses provide substantial ecological and community benefits by creating community greenspaces that provide recreational opportunities, offer and enhance wildlife habitats, and help prevent destructive stormwater run-off into neighboring communities.