If ever there was a sport that cherished its natural environs, clung to its legacy
and fretted about its future, it is golf. We play to be outdoors; we follow
longstanding traditions; we pass our passion on to our children. So it’s only
natural that LINKS, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, takes an active role
in helping shape the future by sponsoring a program to encourage green building
at golf communities. Throughout this year, we’ll follow the progress
of a number of residential golf communities as they design and build LINKS
Green Houses. These showcase golf homes will share a common goal: to help reduce
our carbon footprint on the planet. They will be energy efficient, make use of
renewable resources, use healthy building materials and adhere to
established green building rating systems. We’ll share their stories, their
struggles and their successes, and the impact their Green Houses will have on
their—and our—world.
As it turns out, you don’t have to buy into
global warming theories to warm to the idea of building green. Ultimately, green
houses make beautiful, healthy places to live and in the end, they will save you
and your future generations money.
Helpful websites:
usgbc.org
U.S. Green Building Council’s site with all the info about building
green with the LEED certification system
nahb.org
National Association of Home Builders site with information for both builders
and buyers on their National Green Building Standard
energystar.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy’s
joint website. Provides Energy Star ratings for appliances and homes
eifg.org
The Environmental Institute for Golf's mission is to strengthen the compatibility
of the game of golf with our natural environment, mainly through golf course
management practices. It is the philanthropic arm of the Golf Course Superintendent's
Association of America (GCSSA).
