Birchwood Park Golf & Country Club was named the winner of the Sustainability Project of the Year award at Wednesday’s England Golf Awards, hosted by Mark Chapman at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate.
Birchwood Park was presented with the award in recognition of its outstanding commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable practices.
Having been a GEO-certified club since 2013, Birchwood Park has continuously championed initiatives that enhance biodiversity, improve resource efficiency, and reduce its environmental footprint. For example, the club’s recent work with the Woodland Trust has restored 1.2 hectares of woodland, planting a diverse mix of native trees that provide vital habitats for birds, insects, and small mammals, while actively sequestering carbon to support the UK’s net-zero targets.
Amazingly, Birchwood Park has also achieved zero waste to landfill, increasing recycling rates by 35% and working with suppliers to enhance packaging recyclability whilst educating staff on waste segregation. The club has also pioneered a water management system that captures and redirects car park run-off for irrigation, significantly reducing reliance on potable water while preventing pollutants from entering local waterways.
Accepting the award, Steven Norton, General Manager at Birchwood Park Golf & Country Club, said: "We're really proud as this is a great achievement and testament for all the hard work the team have put in.
"Our biggest achievements have been our waste management, in recycling as much as we possibly can, working with the Woodland Trust in creating more natural woodland on the golf course, and then also the water management, by utilising the water that runs off our car park and our roof space to irrigate the golf course, and not have to rely on mains water.
“Our efforts were never about the award. It was about doing the right thing for the right reasons and so applying for the award became an afterthought once we realised how much we'd done and how much effort had gone in from our team and members, so it’s really about being able to acknowledge and recognise everything we’ve done.
“We are currently installing solar energy to power the clubhouse itself and then also some smaller efforts to continue some of the building blocks that will produce big results in the end. More clubs should look at becoming more sustainable as resources become more and more scarce, specifically sand and also for water, and we've got a responsibility to look after it for the future.”
Having been a GEO-certified club since 2013, Birchwood Park has continuously championed initiatives that enhance biodiversity, improve resource efficiency, and reduce its environmental footprint. For example, the club’s recent work with the Woodland Trust has restored 1.2 hectares of woodland, planting a diverse mix of native trees that provide vital habitats for birds, insects, and small mammals, while actively sequestering carbon to support the UK’s net-zero targets.
Amazingly, Birchwood Park has also achieved zero waste to landfill, increasing recycling rates by 35% and working with suppliers to enhance packaging recyclability whilst educating staff on waste segregation. The club has also pioneered a water management system that captures and redirects car park run-off for irrigation, significantly reducing reliance on potable water while preventing pollutants from entering local waterways.
Accepting the award, Steven Norton, General Manager at Birchwood Park Golf & Country Club, said: "We're really proud as this is a great achievement and testament for all the hard work the team have put in.
"Our biggest achievements have been our waste management, in recycling as much as we possibly can, working with the Woodland Trust in creating more natural woodland on the golf course, and then also the water management, by utilising the water that runs off our car park and our roof space to irrigate the golf course, and not have to rely on mains water.
“Our efforts were never about the award. It was about doing the right thing for the right reasons and so applying for the award became an afterthought once we realised how much we'd done and how much effort had gone in from our team and members, so it’s really about being able to acknowledge and recognise everything we’ve done.
“We are currently installing solar energy to power the clubhouse itself and then also some smaller efforts to continue some of the building blocks that will produce big results in the end. More clubs should look at becoming more sustainable as resources become more and more scarce, specifically sand and also for water, and we've got a responsibility to look after it for the future.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org