DENVER -- Golfpreserves and the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado announces the initiation of the Colorado Golf Carbon Project, a project that will develop a carbon emissions data collection system as well as document the carbon sequestered at participating golf courses.
The project is a partnership between Golfpreserves® and the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado, including the Colorado Golf Association, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendent's Association, the Colorado Section of the PGA, the Colorado Women's Golf Association, the Colorado Chapter of the Club Managers of America and the Colorado Chapter of the Golf Course Owners Association and is supported by the USGA Green Section, Audubon International as well as the International Sustainability Council. Research partners participating in the development of the project include Colorado State University and the USDA-ARS.
The project is a first of its kind not only in the way that it presents a partnership between a diverse group of representatives within the golf industry and research entities but also in what it is setting out to accomplish:
"The Colorado Carbon Project will provide valuable environmental information that will help shape the golf industry for the future as well as creating the funding for future research and development" says Noble Hendrix at Golfpreserves®.
The core objective of the Colorado Carbon Project is twofold:
• To develop a carbon emission and carbon sequestration data collection system for golf courses of Colorado. Results documenting the total carbon effects of sequestration and emissions will be published in a peer-reviewed journal publication
• To document the sequestered carbon at Colorado's golf facilities on an annual basis and create marketable offsets, thus creating a self sustaining funding mechanism for this and future projects aimed at improving conservation and environmental stewardship at golf facilities.
The creation of the pilot project has been a joint effort spearheaded by the USGA Green Section, the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendent's Association and Golfpreserves®.
"Colorado's allied golf associations believe that resources from a diverse group of stakeholders make the Colorado Golf Carbon Project an undertaking that will provide valuable environmental information. There is no doubt that the information generated by this project will have a lasting impact on the management of energy, water and other environmental issues encountered by golf courses and other businesses in Colorado and throughout the United States," says Joe McCleary of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.
"The USGA supports the group of scientists, associations, and companies that have come together to provide their time and expertise on this emerging environmental issue. This is a great project and will provide important information at a time when climate change legislation is being addressed," says Michael P. Kenna, Ph.D. - Director, USGA Green Section Research.
The Colorado Carbon Project is also supported by Audubon International and the International Sustainability Council.
"Audubon International supports the intentions of the project as it aims to improve conservation and environmental stewardship at Colorado's golf facilities. We believe that this will lead to a more sustainable natural resource management on golf courses across Colorado which clearly is in line with the goals of our education and certification programs for golf course operations", says Kevin A. Fletcher, Ph.D. Executive Director of Audubon International.
"The ISC wholeheartedly supports the Colorado Project and the focus that is being placed on fully understanding the total carbon dynamics of golf courses. This means that the project will not only focus on the scientifically based relevance of the ability of turfgrass to sequester carbon, but to document the total carbon emissions connected with a managed golf course," says ISC Chairman Ron Dodson.
"We couldn't be happier about the way that this pilot project has been brought together. From a Golfpreserves® perspective, Colorado has always been a perfect choice for a pilot project," says William Crispin at Golfpreserves®.
Participation is ongoing and the project is expected to be initiated by January 1, 2010.
About Golfpreserves®
Golfpreserves® is a carbon sequestration program for the golf course industry. As an aggregator, Golfpreserves® will facilitate the assessment, quantification and confirmation, and create carbon financial instruments (CFI) that will be traded on the carbon markets. The proceeds from sold carbon credits are invested in research focusing on carbon sequestration, energy and water conservation, environmentally improved turfgrass, and reduced pesticide usage. www.golfpreserves.com
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Andrew Choban
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
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