Golf courses use dangerous pesticides and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to maintain their manicured look. Many people would like to change that. But some golf courses says you can have your cake and tee off, too.
The Problem:
"Just this past July, residents near a golf course in Tampa, Florida, citing health problems, won their yearlong battle to halt the use of a synthetic soil fumigant, the active ingredient in which is considered likely to be carcinogenic by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The manufacturer said the residents' claims were unfounded, but agreed to the stoppage to avoid further negative publicity and legal fees. The fumigant, not used in colder northern states due to fears it could poison drinking water, continues to be used on other golf courses in Florida."
The Solution?:
"There are a handful of other courses worldwide pushing the environmental envelope, opting to go totally organic-using no synthetic pesticides at all. One of those pioneers is Kabi Organic Golf Course, in Queensland, Australia. In addition to 27 holes of golf, Kabi is home to 1,200 organic fruit trees and 200 acres of land for wildlife. Kabi is organic right down to its compost toilets, the waste from which is treated by a sand filtration system and pumped back into the forest as fertilizer. Kabi is certified organic and monitored by Australia's Biological Farmers Association."
Read the full story: Greener Pastures
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority