‘Sexyback’ singer Justin Timberlake this week re-opened his luxury ‘eco-friendly’ golf course in Memphis Tennessee after investing millions of dollars on an environmental upgrade.
Note that’s ‘eco-friendly’ not ‘zero-impact’ or even ‘low-impact.
The former Mickey Mouse Club star closed down his Mirimichi course in January and spent $16 million on greening his greens. The course’s irrigation and drainage systems were reinstalled to maximise the re-use of rainwater; native grass areas were sown and waste-bunkers dug to help cut the amount of property that has to be maintained; more lake areas were created and stream water re-circulated to support wildlife. A Natural Resource Management Center was built for biodegradable treatment of rinse water.
The 7,400 acre course which claims to be the only one in the world to calculate its own carbon footprint, was recognized as the first green golf course in the Americas earlier this year by the Golf Environmental Organisation, an international NGO which describes itself as “working to enhance the social, economic and environmental benefits of golf.”
This week he Tweeted, “Just cut the
ribbon for the new Mirimichi Performance Center! It looks incredible… . “Also, just received the GEO Award for 1st certified ‘green’ golf course! Pretty damn cool.”
According to Greenpacks.org, Timberlake even plans to include a fleet of solar-powered electric golf carts (with GPS) and ensure that the food and beverage operations use biodegradable and recyclable materials.
And how did he guarantee that his greens are green, in every sense of the word? By sprigging of course. Sprigging is a method of plant propagation where cuttings of the grass are sp
read out on the soil surface. And where did the grass cuttings come from you might ask? Texas. And how did they get there? By refrigerated lorry.
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