Breckenridge Golf Club – A Steward to the Environment and Sustainability In 2002, the Town of Breckenridge adopted the Breckenridge Vision Plan, describing the preferred future of the Town and charting its steps toward that future. The Vision Plan was created through citizen input. The plan emphasizes the importance of sustainability and our natural resources. In that spirit, the Town of Breckenridge has looked at all projects and issues through this lens. One of the projects / departments is the Breckenridge Golf Club. The Breckenridge Golf Club continues its leadership in environmental efforts through a variety of efforts. During the fall of 2011 the golf course had two Solar Arrays installed at the Golf Maintenance building which are generating approximately 90Kw of electricity and reducing our carbon footprint. This has been our most recent large scale accomplishment. The Breckenridge Golf Club applies many sustainable green practices in our everyday operations of both the Golf Club and the Gold Run Nordic Center such as; Recycling of most reusable products including used oil, oil filters, and anti-freeze. Carbon Footprint Reduction / Use of Alternative Transportation - Golf Course Maintenance utilizes 15 electric vehicles (vs. gasoline/diesel fuel) and emphasizes staff cart-pooling when assigning maintenance jobs. During winter months, staff grooms Nordic trails on an as-needed basis, to reduce unnecessary Sno-Cat use. Due to E-Vehicles and changes in maintenance practices we now use 1,300 Gal of fuel, per year, less than in 2006 Water Conservation practices include a daily audit of the irrigation system to ensure proper operating of sprinkler heads, making sure there are no leaks and system is running as efficiently as possible. Determining the turf’s need for water by closely monitoring the ET rate and our changing weather. Use of wetting agents and hand watering helps ensure uniform water infiltration and efficiency. Natural Environment Sustainability / Chemical Use Reduction - We use organic, all-natural fertilizers, we spot spray to control weeds, and we have eliminated fungicide application for snow mold control in rough areas (app. 50 less acres). Since 1994, the Breckenridge Golf Club has been a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Audubon International requires recertification every 2 years to retain this prestigious certification. To maintain our certification we have implemented environmental management practices in the following areas: • Environmental Planning • Wildlife and Habitat Management • Chemical Use Reduction and Safety • Water Conservation • Water Quality Management • Outreach and Education Breckenridge Golf Club is also a part of the Colorado Golf Carbon Project spearheaded by Golfpreserves (www.golfpreserves.com). This groundbreaking project will assess and create carbon financial instruments that can be traded on the carbon market. Proceeds from these carbon credits are invested into research on carbon sequestration, environmentally improved turf grass, irrigation and pesticide usage. Sustainable Breck: Sustainable Breck is furthering the goals of the Town's Vision Plan through developing recommendations for environmental, economic and social sustainability. Click here to find out more about how you can help shape Breckenridge through the Sustainable Breck public process.
The staff at Breckenridge is proud of these accomplishments and the environment we live in. We look forward to the future and new technologies that will allow us to continue our efforts and be a leader in the golf industry. Potential projects beyond 2013 include conversion of current gas powered Greens and Tee mowers to electric mowers and purchasing a energy saving golf cart fleet (108 units). Our 2013 fleet promises to save 15-25% in electricity consumption.