Golf sports and leisure
Issue link: https://digital.insidegolfmedia.com/i/1112176
buying decisions." The Community Environmental Award was based on how courses performed in four main areas: con- serving water, electricity and other resources; their course-wide recy- cling program; encouraging on-site habitats for birds and other small an- imals; and educating the public about golf courses being eco- friendly, and how they can support those efforts. Bjorkman said the award was both recognition and confirmation of the property's environmental efforts. "We are committed to taking great care to minimize our impact on the environment and maximize our im- pact on those in need," he said. Many of The Ranch's environ- mental practices are on-site. These range from its bottles-to-bunkers ini- tiative, which turns glass bottles into a sandy substance that is used to re- plenish bunkers, replacing plastic guest room keys with wooden and bamboo keys, and its water reclama- tion project, which will result in more than 21 millions of gallons saved annually. But management and employees realize that reducing carbon foot- prints aren't enough. That is why many volunteer to maintain a nearly mile-long stretch of Aliso Creek Channel running through the course, and why the re- sort has joined with Kind Traveler, a socially conscious hotel reservation platform that gives those who book through it special rates that allow them to donate $10 to the Ocean In- stitute or a nonprofit of their choice. Bjorkman said one of the things he's most proud of is that the Ranch's sustainability efforts do not impact the guest experience. "We get a lot of positive feedback regarding our various initiatives," he said. "It makes our guests feel good knowing that luxury and first-class service does not need to come at the expense of the environ- ment." The Ranch at Laguna Beach is the first hospitality entity in North America to operate a GLSand glass bottle crusher (at left), a compact machine that creates a sand-like product from glass bottles that can be used to replenish bunkers on the golf course. WWW.CGCOA.NET