Green Golfer Foundation is a non profit organization with all the bells and whistles that go with that distinction. One of the best known distinctions of a non profit is the tax exempt status. Many of you may know that when you make a charitable donation to a non profit organization, you are entitled to a tax deduction for the value of the donation. It's a win-win situation. When you give something of value to a charitable organization you help out a cause that you believe in and when you write off the gift at tax time, your tax liablility is reduced by the value of the gift. It doesn't hurt your bottom line at all. It's as though the government has actually made the donation.
Green Golfer is dedicated to furthering environmental awareness and specific projects that advance sustainability or reduce environmental impacts fom golf course activities. The funds we raise are reserved for environmental education and outreach or implementation of environmental golf projects. So far in 2011, we have raised over $30,000 in cash or equipment, and provided over 200 hours of volunteer time to help San Luis Obispo County Golf Operations develop a zero waste demonstration park at Dairy Creek Golf Course. It's a good start, but we're not even close to done.
Green Golfer started out as an offshoot of Environmental Protection Associates Inc. (EPA Inc). EPA Inc is a very small organization. In fact there's only three of us in the club. EPA Inc. is not really structured to be dedicated as a golf organization, since we design zero waste strategies for any number of venues and events other than golf. That's why we decided to start Green Golfer to specialize on golf and the environmental challenges that go along with operating our local golf courses. Whenever we talk to golfers about forming an environmental club for golfers, they respond with great enthusiasm. That's why we're starting to reach out for charter members to help us grow the group.
As a non profit group, Green Golfer can do so many things that county golf operations simply can't. As an example, the county can't solicit or recieve gifts or donations from individuals or businesses. We can. The county can't recieve endowments from the estates of golf lovers, we can. What the county can do, however, is accept resources from a non profit organization.
After the compost tea test was sucessful, Josh Heptig, superintendent of county golf operations invited EPA Inc. to make a written proposal for the creation of a zero waste demonstration park at Dairy Creek. We knew that if we couldn't find a way to divert food wastes from the landfill, we couldn't accomplish our zero waste goal. But dealing with food wastes is strictly regulated by the state and county regulations. That's why we went for help and advice to Bill Worrell, manager of SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority. So happens that IWMA had two vessel composters, valued $10,000 each, sitting around being unused and that are approved for food waste composting. So we asked them to give us the composters for our project with county golf. And they did, just like that. I'm not bragging about it, I'm just saying...It's not the kind of request that county golf operations could make, but Green Golfer could.
I'll tell you a funny story that superintendent Josh Heptig told me. When he and I first met to discuss creating the first zero waste golf course in the world, he told his supervisors....and they just laughed. After the success of the free compost tea test, he told his supervisors....and they were starting to get curious. After IWMA gave us the $20,000 worth of composters, he told his supervisors....and they suddenly became very interested. After we applied for and were awarded $10,000 in grant cash money from Morro Bay National Estuary Program....his supervisors wanted to take credit for the whole idea. (just kidding) but for sure they were 100% behind the project.
I'll tell you more about the MBNEP grant in my next session.
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