Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Marriott Gets Certified By Audubon International


We've gone green!

By receiving 6 total certifications, the Manhattan Beach Marriott Golf Course can now be called a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary."

A big round of applause, please!
The Marriott has worked hard to achieve this certification, which is no small feat, seeing as how it takes about one to three years to obtain.
The Audubon Certified Sanctuary System (which is the educational division of Audubon International) granted the Marriott with this certification, making it number 67 of 1,100 Californian courses.
"Manhattan Beach Marriott Golf Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property," Jim Sluiter, Staff Ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs, said in a press release by Valley Crest, a golf course maintenance company who worked with the Manhattan Beach Marriott Golf Club to obtain this certification.
What this basically means is that we have to uphold these crucial tenets:
  • Water Quality Management - We had to protect surface and ground water quality.
  • Water Conservation - We ensured that we maximized the use of every drop.
  • Chemical Use Reduction - We kept a close eye on any pesticides that were used to ensure they don't harm the environment.
  • Wildlife and Habitat Management - We needed to take care of the natural habitat of the course, using landscaping only to help preserve the natural beauties of the land and to prevent pollution.
  • Environmental Planning - We worked on the course for a while to bring it up to Audubon's standards, and we have a plan instilled to keep it that way.
  • Outreach and Education - Basically, we have to let employees and those involved know what they can do to help natural environment on our course.

"To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas," Sluiter (of Audubon) said.

So if you're itching to check out what a sanctuary looks like, come on down!

We are extremely proud of this accomplishment and as always are dedicated to helping the environment while providing excellent service to our golfing patrons.

- Manhattan Beach Marriott Golf Club
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary