The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit
How to Build, Implement and Maintain an Environmental Plan for Grounds and Golf Courses

A comprehensive, one-stop guide to environmental stewardship for golf courses and grounds

This highly practical guide covers the full complement of tools green industry professionals need to create a successful environmental program on golf courses and grounds. Written by a leading golf course superintendent and grounds manager, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit offers a comprehensive analysis of all relevant issues, including environmental management, resource management, community engagement, and document management.

The emphasis throughout is on the development of programs that are both sustainable and practical, combining the protection and renewal of environmental systems with a workable business plan. Regulatory issues as well as concerns of owners, customers, and the community at large are also addressed. Clear, pragmatic, up-to-the-minute coverage includes:

• Numerous illustrations, photos, and customizable templates and checklists that readers can use in their own projects

• A system for sorting projects into green, greener, and greenest in order to tailor implementation for different budgets and project complexity

• An in-depth look at site assessment, water quality and conservation, integrated pest management, and wildlife habitat management

• Guidance for developing green public relations and communications skills to promote the project in the community

• Field-tested procedures for building a state-of-the art documentation system for capturing, organizing, and disseminating information

A must-read for golf course superintendents, irrigation specialists, turfgrass specialists, and grounds managers, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit is also useful for landscape architects and designers, grounds owners, developers, builders, contractors, and anyone wishing to be on the cutting edge of sustainability in the green industry.

Acknowledgments xiii

SECTION 1 Environmental Management 1

Chapter 1: Building a Green Team 3

How to Establish an Environmental Committee 3

Where Do You Look to Begin Filling Positions in Your Committee? 4

How Many People Should Be on Your Environmental Committee? 9

Summary 10

Chapter 2: The Environmental Plan: Site Assessment 11

The Site Assessment 12

Site Assessment Features for Golf Courses 16

Summary 17

Chapter 3: The Environmental Plan: Agronomic Programs 19

Soil Structure and Edaphology 19

Essential Elements to “All” Plant Growth 21

Soil Samples and Soil Testing 23

Tissue Samples 25

Cultural Practices for Turf 26

What Is a Carbon Footprint and Why Is It Mentioned Here? 33

Summary 35

Chapter 4: The Environmental Plan: Water Quality and Conservation 37

Water Basics 37

Water Quality Programs and Strategies 38

Summary 53

Chapter 5: The Environmental Plan: Wildlife and Habitat Management 55

Developing a Wildlife Inventory 55

Guidelines for Enhancing and Maintaining Wildlife Habitat 64

Summary 66

Chapter 6: The Environmental Plan: Integrated Pest Management 67

Protecting Agronomic Assets through IPM 67

Summary 82

Section One: Environmental Management Conclusions 82

Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 83

SECTION 2 Resource Management 85

Chapter 7: Accounting and Financial Processes 87

The Accounting Equation 88

Specifi c Financial Documents 89

Using Comparative Reports 94

Summary 98

Chapter 8: Budget Reduction and Contingency Strategies 99

Environmental Programs That Cut Expenses and Protect Assets 99

Partnerships Increase The Effectiveness of Recycling Programs 104

Summary 114

Chapter 9: Human Resources Management 115

Employee Recruitment and Hiring Practices 116

Achieving More with Less 121

Safety Programs and Resource Management 122

Summary 129

Section Two: Resource Management Conclusions 132

Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 132

SECTION 3 Environomic Community Engagement and Green Public Relations 135

Chapter 10: Environomic Community Engagement 137

The Role of the Green Industry Professional in an Environomic

Community Engagement Program 138

Simple Steps for Starting an Environomic Community Engagement Program 139

Summary 144

Chapter 11: Public Relations and the Green Industry Professional 145

Communicating to and with Target Audiences 145

Public Relations and the Green Industry Professional 148

Creating a “Beyond the Property” Program 150

Crafting Your Story 152

Ten Steps to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Beyond the Property Public Relations Program 155

Summary 156

Chapter 12: Photography’s Role in Green Public Relations 157

Digital Camera Facts for the Green Industry Professional 160

Learning Another Language (or Two) 171

The Future of Community Engagement 173

Summary 174

Section Three: Environomic Community Engagement And Green Public Relations Conclusions 174

Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 174

SECTION 4 Documentation Management 177

Chapter 13: Essential Green Industry Documentation 179

How Do I Begin to Create a Personal Documentation List? 180

Transforming Your Personal Documentation List into a Personal Documentation Program 182

Documentation: Tools of the Trade 184

The Daily Work Log 185

Weather Reports 188

Agronomic Reports and Documentation 191

Water Quality Tests 193

Disease and Nematode Sampling 195

Chemical Application Records 195

The Right to Know Center and Safety Training Documents 198

Licenses and Miscellaneous Documents 202

Summary 202

Chapter 14: Case Study Documentation and Uses 203

What Exactly Does a Case Study Look Like? 204

Environmentally Focused Documentation: the Building Blocks of Case Studies 216

Water Use and Irrigation Documents 219

Summary 221

Section Four: Documentation Management Conclusions 221

Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 222

SECTION 5 Putting It All Together: Synergy and the Green Industry Professional 223

Chapter 15: Career Focus and Professional Image 225

Time Horizons, Career Focus and the Green Industry Professional 231

Stretch Goals and Link Goals 238

Summary 244

Chapter 16: Professional Associations and Networking 245

American Nursery and Landscape Association 246

American Society of Golf Course Architects 246

American Society of Landscape Architects 247

Golf Course Builders Association of America 247

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America 248

Irrigation Association 248

International Society of Arboriculture 249

Professional Grounds Management Society 249

Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) 250

Sports Turf Managers Association 251

The Green Industry Ambassador 251

Summary 255

Chapter 17: Roadmaps for Success—Personal Success Stories from the Green Industry 257

Delany, Tom 258

Dinelli, F. Dan 260

Farren, Bob 265

Finney, Shelia 267

Hiers, Tim 269

Higgins, Monica 272

Jackson, Joseph B. 275

Maples, Palmer Jr. 277

Mangum, Ken 279

Mongeon, Roger 281

Newell, Ellen 282

O’Donnell, Kevin 284

Phipps, David 285

Pinson, Bob 288

Scott, Bob 289

Toma, George P. 291

Van Etten, John 292

Van Haasteren, George 294

Williams, Bruce R. 296

Summary 298

Section Five: Synergy and the Green Industry Professional Conclusions 298

Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 299

Index 301

ANTHONY L. WILLIAMS, CGCS, CGM, is Director of Grounds, Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort, Stone Mountain Inn, and Stone Mountain Golf Club in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, Certified Grounds Manager, Certified Arborist, and graduate of the GCSAA in the Environmental Management Program. Mr. Williams is the recipient of the 2010 GCSAA President's Award for Environmental Stewardship, a frequent contributor to many green industry publications, and is the environmental editor for Golfdom magazine. He was the 2011 Environmental Communicator of the Year for the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association.