Going Beyond Green: Design Firm Becomes First ISC Charter Member

College Park, MD, February 06, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Sustainable Golf & Development, LLC announced today the firm has become the first golf course design and open space planning firm in the world to become a Charter Member of the International Sustainability Council (ISC).

The ISC is a not-for-profit organization with a focus on sustainable economic growth as the basis for environmental and social sustainability, which is achieved through partnerships that the ISC forges with businesses, governments, universities and not-for-profit organizations. The first step in the process is for these partners to create a Sustainability Charter that will govern the way each ISC member organization manages itself.

“I have always believed that environmental stewardship should be a priority for my design efforts,” said Bill Love, a founding partner of Sustainable Golf & Development (SGD), as well as Environmental Committee Chairman and past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. “However today, in addition to the importance of management and preservation of our natural resources, we face complex economic and social issues, so simply going green, while commendable, is not enough. Sustainable practices focus on these issues simultaneously to achieve lasting value for golf or any development while promoting quality of life for current and future generations. We are pleased that we have been accepted as an ISC Charter member and can assure everyone that SGD is walking the walk of sustainability.”

SGD is convinced golf has reached a crossroads and everyone in the industry needs to embrace the tenants of sustainability and realize the incentives to function in economically, environmentally and socially beneficial ways. SGD was founded on the belief that properly sited, designed, constructed and managed golf and open space facilities represent some of the most sustainable types of land use and economic development. Golf course managers should draw attention to the “natural” history of golf courses and recognize that past unsustainable practices have resulted in some facilities going out of business. SGD believes that every golf facility should have an ISC Charter and make the commitment to a sustainable future by injecting the sustainable practices into day to day management decisions.

###