community

Building Green is one of the most important things we can do. When it is done on a neighborhood scale the advantages are multiplied exponentially. One inspiring example of building green on a neighborhood scale is the New Urbanist sustainable community of Oshara Village now under construction in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This unique New Urbanist environmental village, the first to combine New Urbanism and Sustainable Neighborhood Design, is the first example of its kind in the United States. Oshara will allow residents to drastically reduce their use of non-renewable resources and overall energy consumption. Studies by New Village Institute in Santa Fe estimate that energy used for driving will be cut by 60% and home energy use by over 50%. Through wise land planning, mixed-use zoning, green built homes and commercial buildings, and water recycling, Oshara Village will become one of the most green communities in the Unites States.

So I have a confession to make - and you may see a few of these from me as I take steps to lessen my own carbon footprint.

As horrible as I am at it (I'm not even being modest--anyone who has played with me will agree), I really enjoy the game of golf. But I've been having a more and more difficult time finding it to be the relaxing experience it is supposed to be as I am becoming more conscious about the environmental impacts. With each golf course ranging from 75-150 acres (and they've been increasing in size apparently as improvements in equipment have allowed people to hit the ball further distances-- note I seem to be the exception to this "benefit"), you can see how the effects of water usage and land consumption could really add up. The ecosystem of Palm Springs, for example, has totally changed over the years due to all of the courses and artificial humidity, and has had a notable effect on water flows in the Colorado River from whence a lot of the required water comes.

I was pleased to discover that there are some efforts underway to get courses to be more environmentally friendly, however. Borrowing from Wikipedia: "The modern golf course superintendent is often trained in the uses of these [more environmentally sound] practices and grasses. This has led to some mitigation in the amount of chemicals and water used on courses. The turf on golf courses is an excellent filter for water and has been used in many communities to cleanse grey water, such as incorporation of bioswales." The USGA website talks about environmental impacts of golf, though they seem to still be in the research stages (and have been since 1991....)

I recall taking a walk on a golf course with my father many years ago-- he used the setting to explain the concepts of Permaculture which is a something I've been fascinated by ever since and I still have a goal of learning more about it. He constructed an image in which fish would be raised in the water hazards. And instead of mowing lawns, cattle would graze the fairways, reducing the need for electric mowers, and simultaneously alleviating the need to grow crops to raise the animals. The way I play, we'd probably need to put helmets on the cattle which would introduce a footprint of its own, but that would probably be a lesser evil.

Some of these concepts have actually been deployed in certain parts of the world-- notably in New Zealand, where Permaculture is strong and "it is not uncommon for rural courses to have greens fenced off and sheep graze the fairways." And there is apparently a sport called Extreme Golf -- I can't tell whether this is concept or reality yet, but "the extreme golf course features un-mowed meadows and forest instead of fairways, with "goals" scored on temporary greens (a circle 20 feet in diameter)."

I haven't heard of any sustainable courses in the US yet, but I'll be keeping an eye out for them, and I plan to start asking about what sustainable practices are in place when I visit different courses.