2011 SportsTurf Managers Association Conference and Trade Show included several sessions on sustainability techniques that have been used in golf course and city park and recreation operations that save on supplies, pesticides, equipment wear and tear and reduce man hours.
One session in particular was very informative, Implementing an Environmental Stewardship Program for your Sports Facility, presented by Dr. Dave Minner, Iowa State University, and Jim Sluiter, Audubon International, Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs.
A brief introduction was made on the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and how this can be incorporated into you day-to-day activities, e.g., site assessment, implementation plan, and documentation. There is a certification plan that can be implemented over a 3-year effort. The program involves the intersection of the environment, economy, and social good. The method to achieve "being green" for a sports complex is to reduce the use of pesticides, fuel, water, energy and labor while improving community relationships and marketing.
Several testimonials were given by Kevin Mercer, superintendent of grounds at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, who was awarded the President’s Award for Leadership by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) during the 2011 conference.
The presentation team provided a Gallup Poll finding from 2009 that stated 83% of those polled were worried about water bodies. Once of the lessons learned is to start taking water readings from your water bodies, track trends, and develop measures to improve results (before you are directed to by state or federal authorities).
Integrated Pest Management was discussed and is centered on scouting, record keeping, and reducing not eliminating pesticides. One of the techniques is to establish buffer zones to improve natural filtration and dedicated spaces that are no spray zones. Dr. Minner indicated that he believe IPM would become a mandated practice for those receiving federal funds such as schools.
Other sustainability techniques discussed included deep and infrequent irrigation (adding soil sensors to better manage water usage), introducing drought tolerant plants, using plant growth regulators to reduce thatch and minimize mowing operations, and conducting an irrigation audit to verify performance.
One of the best practices that generated a lot of discussion is creating a "picture frame" in your mowing operations by adjusting the mower deck height to create an offsetting landscape thus reducing the number of times specific areas need to be mowed over the course of a growing season. Just this technique can reduce the fuel, man hours, and maintenance on equipment.
Paint usage is a challenge for sports field operations. It is important to implement wash pads to collect paint runoff and allow it to disseminate through a turf sediment and filtration area.
Dr Minner, endorses a University of Iowa publication, Golf Course Pollution Prevention Guide, that can be easily adapted to sports field managers.
Many other recommendations were mentioned during the presentation to include, composting (e.g., using the coffee grounds from food service which is an excellent mulching material), using waste oil in low cost waste oil heaters, introducing motion sensors in facilities to minimize use of lights, and helping educate the community by incorporating signage in areas where stewardship practices are being implemented.
For example in an earlier blog post discussed how the use of turf colorants is a money saving practice by reducing the amount of overseeding. Tru Mark continues to help field marking staff better appreciate the justification for converting from aerosol to bulk latex paint operations, saving paint, containers, and time (and the environment).Labels: Sports, Trends, Turf _Tips