If you could see me right now, you'd see me pumping my fist into the air. I'm actually shouting "ZerO Waste!" right now. I must admit that I have seen a few followers using the words...but they don't do the fist pump, so what good is it?
One thing I like about the words ZerO Waste (I like it when we use a big O at the end of zero) is that everybody likes the sound of it. But ask them to define zero waste, and you see that few can articulate the topic very well. The other day, a couple of us were planning the script for a video presentation in which we were wondering who could describe zero waste golf more clearly...a middle aged golfer or a fifth grader? It was unamimous.
I shouldn't have to define the word "zero" for you. Everyone knows what zero means. It means no, nothing, nada. Mick Jagger could have substituted the word zero in his iconic song...Remember "I can't get zero satisfaction"?
But the word waste, now there's an enigma. Waste means to use or expend carelessly or needlessly, to squander. It means to fail to use, as an opportunity. It means to be available without being put to use. When I was pumping my fist into the air, what I was really shouting was, "Green Golfer Foundation is available! Put us to use! If you're a golf superintent who has noticed that play has fallen off lately as the economy has taken a nose dive, pump your fist into the air and shout, " (insert name here) golf course is available! Put us to use. Actually this might not be the best slogan, because it sounds self serving, and we all know selfishness makes people feel bad. I suggest you go with the slogan "ZerO Waste!"
A word of caution, though. The words, zero waste, cause a change in the people who use them. First you use the words. Then you start thinking about what they mean. Then you start finding ways to illustrate them. Next thing you know, you're obsessed with eliminating your own wasteful behaviors. I know because it's happened to me since I started promoting them. Yes I'm obsessed about zero waste golf. I even bought the internet domain zerowastegolf.com. Sadly, I'm wasting the opportunity to put up a website, because I wasted the opportunity to learn how to work the internet.
Here's some of the things I obsess about when I think about zero waste golf:
1. There are plenty of golfers who would volunteer to improve their favorite golf course, especially retired folks that don't have enough to do since Oprah is off the air. Don't waste their talents.
2. The average golf course uses 300,000 gallons per irrigation session. Wouldn't 250,000 do just as well? Don't waste water.
3. Energy from the sun and wind is free. get some panels or a wind generator to charge your carts. Don't waste free energy, or the government rebates available for installing energy saving equipment.
4. Compost your course food and green wastes and use the compost or worm castings to fertilize your landscape or course. Don't waste money on fertilizer. And don't waste the atmosphere by landfilling food or green wastes.
5. Back to water savings...Change your urinals to flushless.
6. Back to carts...Encourage golfers to walk the course. tell them not to waste their health, and save the energy needed to constantly recharge the carts.
7. Compost tea has shown to be an effective disease preventative. Use it on your greens. Don't waste your natural soil biology by constantly killing it with pesticides.
8. Get rid of the styrofoam to-go containers in the snack bar. They don't degrade in the landfill and they don't recycle. Oh, and those plastic coated paper to-go cups...ditto. Don't waste room in the landfill.
9. Promoting zero waste at your golf course indicates to you are a community environmental leader. Don't waste the opportunity to lead.
10. And this zero waste advice is for you golfers that like to gamble. Spend some time on the practice green, fer crissakes. Quit missing those 3 foot putts, you're just wasting your hard earned money.
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