The GolfCourseHome Life

Blackstone Golf Course Earns Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Status

The Jim Engh-designed golf course at Blackstone Country Club has been designated a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, the 10th in Arizona and the 778th in the world, by Audubon International.

A 570-acre private, gated community located within the Vistancia master plan in Peoria, the award adds even more weight to the community's green efforts, catapulting it to the Vanguard level--the top designation--on the GolfCourseHome Network's GreenGolfCommunities website.

Earning the certification means the club has demonstrated a strong commitment to its environmental program and maintains a high degree of environmental quality in the areas of environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water quality management, water conservation and environmental planning.

“The Blackstone agronomy team is to be commended for its efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property,” said Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.

The championship course is home to mule deer, ducks, badgers, bobcats, prairie dogs, chipmunks, many types of birds and the wild donkeys that have roamed the area for generations.

Course Superintendent Roger Brashear led the 25-member team in the year-long process that took more than 300 hours to complete.

“I’m proud of the team’s efforts,” he explained. “Their daily record-keeping allowed me to provide Audubon International with information in a concise and timely manner. It made things run very smoothly.”

Brashear, who is being recognized for his environmental stewardship by the organization, regards the certification as an affirmation of the club’s existing course maintenance practices.

“The environmental management practices we follow here are respectful of the land, wildlife, water and air,” he said. “But they also help us to improve our efficiency in maintaining the course and will ultimately help us achieve sustainability.”

Treasure Lake Realtor Offers Tips on How to Live Green Without Spending a Fortune

Treasure Lake, PA: Green on the course and off.

Elaine Rhodes, a Green Realtor at Buyers Only Realty, Inc., in State College, PA, spends a lot of time selling real estate at Treasure Lake, a master-planned golf, lake and equestrian community in nearby DuBois. Rhodes has made a major effort to incorporate green principles not only into her marketing, but also into her life. Read below her simple steps for living green without spending a lot to do it.

Green Tips for Your Home
You do not have to spend thousands of dollars to save energy costs or improve your home’s indoor air quality.

Of course, if you are ready to replace furniture, cabinetry and carpeting, why not choose those that are more environmentally friendly and without toxic fumes? Or, replace old windows and appliances with Energy Star rated products and save energy costs. But there are a number of simple steps you can take every day that can help you “live green” without spending lot of green.

Low or No Cost Green Tips

• Change light bulbs to CFLs or LEDs
• Unplug electronic equipment and lamp s when not in use
• Place aerators on faucets
• Set thermostats five degrees lower for heat and five degrees higher for air conditioning
• Only run dishwashers and clothes washers when you have a full load
• Add insulation in your attic
• Make sure your fireplace damper is closed when the fireplace is not in use
• Look for energy ratings on products you buy
• When purchasing cabinetry, furniture, wood (for indoor and outdoor use), paint, stain,carpeting and insulation, ask for products with reduced VOCs and other harmful chemicals
• Make sure your car’s tires have the proper air pressure
• Recycle
• Consider adding compost and rain water collectors in your yard
• Check labels on cleaning products to avoid harmful substances to the environment and your health
• Choose indigenous plantings for your yard that require less watering
• Walk or use public transportation

You can go further with an Energy Audit done by experienced professionals who  can identify energy loss in your home and ways you can make improvements.

Solar Placement Tests will determine if your home could benefit from adding solar options.

Choose a “Green” Real Estate Professional. When selling or buying a home, look for Realtors® with the green ” designation after their names. They can point out a home’s green features and guide you to cost saving and value added green resources.

Legacy Quest Homes: Green, Modern, Historic and Made to Last Generations

Legacy Quest Outdoors: Homes that are green and authentic.

Imagine you could live in a home whose appearance takes you back to rustic days gone by while providing the latest in appliances, green living and energy efficiency. That's the mission of Legacy Quest Outdoors, a Waynesville, NC, company that specializes in high-end custom home-building using vintage materials with the latest technology.

Legacy Quest Outdoors is also the pioneering inventor of the Second Generation Hybrid Home™--homes that will stand for generations and uses the building materials of structures that have already stood the test of time. 

A modern kitchen with historic comfort.

Cutting-edge green technology is used in constructing  Second Generation Hybrid Homes™including lumber from certified, well-managed, sustainable forests, engineered lumber, sheet goods throughout, lycenyne spray foam insulation, Low-E glass windows, low VOC finishes on all wooden components both interior and exterior and 100 percent recycled wood for all walls, floors, cabinets, trim, ceilings, doors, exterior siding and some roofing.

Homes also have tankless hot water heaters, rainwater collection barrels, natural sunlight tubes, skylights, passive infrared lighting controls that go on and off as you enter and leave the room. Solar power is an option.

This is just a partial list of all that goes into a Second Generation Hybrid Home™. Visit their website for the full list of materials.

GolfCourseHome is working with Legacy Quest Outdoors on an exciting project that will be constructed at Balsam Mountain Preserve. Watch for more news as it develops!

Modern on the inside, antique on the outside.

HUD “Livability Principles” Echo Urban Land Institute's Sustainable Communities

WASHINGTON (June 17, 2009) -- The recent announcement of six livability principles for sustainable communities jointly issued by three Obama Administration officials represents a “pivotal point in restoring land use issues as a national priority,” according to Richard Rosan, chief executive officer of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Worldwide.

The three Administration officials announced a “landmark” agreement to work together to coordinate federal housing, transportation and environmental programs during June 16 testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

The officials are Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary; Ray LaHood, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, and Lisa Jackson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator.

The agreement includes six “Livability Principles” that will serve as the goals driving the coordination effort.

"These principles," said Donovan, “mean that we will all be working off the same playbook to better serve American families who expect more affordable and sustainable choices in their communities.” The principles seek to:

• Provide more transportation choices

• Promote equitable, affordable housing

• Enhance economic competitiveness

• Support existing communities

• Coordinate policies and leverage investment

• Value communities and neighborhoods

“This commitment demonstrates a stronger focus on land use and community building than we have seen at the federal level for many years,” Rosan said.

“Clearly, this Administration understands that our nation’s cities and metropolitan regions are the economic engine for America, and that they are in competition globally for business and for talented workers."

At the Senate hearing, Donovan, Jackson and LaHood discussed issues related to community sustainability that ULI has long analyzed and promoted, in terms of building workforce housing closer to employment centers; integrating land use and infrastructure planning; and accommodating urban growth in a way that minimizes auto dependency and is pedestrian friendly, thus conserving land and energy and improving the environment. 

For more information, contact Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086; email: priggs@uli.org

Balsam Mountain Preserve Named a Green Golf Community by GolfCourseHome

Balsam Mountain Preserve: In the green Vanguard.

Press release sent out today:

GolfCourseHome.net and the Golf Course Home® Network announce that Balsam Mountain Preserve, a 4,400-acre golf and preservation community located just west of Asheville, NC, has been named a Green Golf Community and has earned Vanguard designation, the highest level awarded.

Balsam Mountain Preserve joins more than 50 master-planned golf and waterview communities in 16 states that have demonstrated leadership in pursuing and promoting environmentally friendly policies and construction.

How to Qualify
Qualifying communities are assigned to one of four categories—Vanguard, Steward, Sustaining and Participant—depending on the extent of their green programs and achievements. These designations are fluid in that a community can move up (or down) based on new programs added in the future.

Each community can stand out in up to18 different areas, ranging from Significant Green Space, Staff Naturalist, Nature Center, Education & Research and Habitat Restoration to Green Construction (LEED, etc.), Conservation Foundation, Research Partnership, Volunteer Programs, Archeological Preserve and participation in Audubon International’s Sanctuary program.

“Balsam Mountain Preserve is especially qualified for being awarded Vanguard status since 70 percent of the community has been placed in a permanent conservation easement, ensuring it will never be developed,” notes David Lott, Golf Course Home® Network Founder and Publisher.

“And the non-profit Balsam Mountain Trust, which operates the on-site Nature Center, serves as a wonderful educational resource for young and old.”

GolfCourseHome.net and WaterViewHome.net are the core websites of the Golf Course Home® Network which offers 42 Member Websites, a database of more than 500 master-planned communities, and features on 175+ world-class golf and waterview communities in North America and the Caribbean.

GolfCourseHome.net is frequently cited in publications and online, such as Forbes.com, Business Week, Business 2.0 Magazine, Golf Digest and Schwab’s ON INVESTING magazines.

To request information about advertising on the GolfCourseHome®Network, contact David Lott, Founder and Publisher, 1-203-270-9357.

Homestead Preserve Receives Award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation”

Homestead Preserve, VA: The main barn at the Old Dairy.

The Valley Conservation Council recently awarded Homestead Preserve the 2009 Better Models for Development Award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation” in recognition of its restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Old Dairy in Warm Springs, Virginia.

“This is a beautiful and comprehensive rehabilitation of a rural agricultural complex,” says Sara Hollberg, Valley Conservation Council (VCC) Planner. “The dairy barns and silos have been an iconic part of the Bath County landscape for generations, and it is wonderful to see their future secured.”

Homestead Preserve completed restoration of the seven historic structures that now make up the Old Dairy Community Center in 2007, at the cost of about $6 million.  Today Old Dairy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a designated Virginia Historic Landmark. 

The restored agricultural complex has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions over the past two years, including an award for Outstanding Adaptive Use from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) last year and receipt of the 2009 Palladio Award for historic restoration.  

VCC recognized ten projects this year that serve as models for development in the Shenandoah Valley region. All represent ways to grow that respect local character, create livable communities, complement historic resources, and conserve natural assets. The awards include projects from Winchester, Berryville, Woodstock, and New Market as well as Warren, Augusta, Rockbridge, Bath, and Botetourt counties.

Urban Land Institute Responds to Obama's New Federal Emissions Standards: More!

The higher vehicle fuel efficiency requirements and new federal emissions standards proposed by the Obama Administration represent a key step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but they are only part of the solution.

To really make a dent in climate change, says Richard M. Rosan, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Land Institute Worldwide, a three-part solution is needed that includes: 1) improved vehicle efficiency, 2) cleaner fuels and 3) reducing the need to drive by improving urban growth patterns.

Much More Development Coming
At least two-thirds of the development expected to exist in the U.S. by 2050 is not yet built, and the bulk of what’s coming will be built on the outer edges of urban regions. Sticking to sprawling development patterns of the past will leave us spending more time behind the wheel, and even if we’re spending that time in more fuel-efficient cars, we’re putting more cars on the road and adding to gridlock.

That’s not a good answer to climate change. Responsible land use is a much better response.      

The Urban Land Institute’s publication, Growing Cooler, states that if 60 percent of new development is built in a way the minimizes driving – and instead encourages walking, biking and using public transit – up to 85 million metric tons of carbon gas emissions could be saved each year by 2030.

Getting People Out of Their Cars
That’s the equivalent of at least a 28-percent increase in current federal vehicle fuel-efficiency requirements, reaching a level of about 32 miles per gallon. It’s a substantial impact that can be achieved by getting people out of their cars, and by building housing closer to jobs and shopping. 

The greenest car is the one that is not needed for every trip to get from one place to another. Well-planned, compact development that reduces auto dependency is as critical to protecting the environment as cars that use less fuel, concludes Rosan.

Solar Power Gets Welcome Boosts from Foreign Investment & Federal Tax Credits

If you are looking for a home on a golf course or on the water, you'll find that both locations are ideally suited for using solar power. The sun reflecting off the water increases the amount of light and heat given off and both locations are open to allow light shine in. And golf courses on mountain tops and on the desert in areas such as Palm Springs and Phoenix are ideal for taking advantage of the sun.

This morning's New York Times reports on a German company that is expanding its solar panel producing capacity at its plant in in the heart of Oregon's “Silicon Forest," a growing that has attracted many wind and solar companies. What's remarkable is the company started its buildup right as the markets and economies were collapsing last October.

Germany is at the same latitude as southern Alaska, but that hasn't stopped the country from pushing ahead with solar. The country has more than three times the number of solar panels installed than the U.S., according to the article. And the U.S. lags in production, generating only 5 percent of the world market.

But things may be beginning to change. U.S. installations should begin to surge with the addition of Federal tax credits for installing alternative energy: homeowners can expect to deduct up to 30% of the cost of installation. And the cap on the amount of money you are allowed to deduct was lifted in the stimulus bill.

So if you are thinking about refinancing your mortgage, now would be an excellent time to put some of the cash you receive toward alternative energy whether it is solar, double-paned windows, insulation or simply sealing up the gaps in windows and doors.

For a summary of all the different kinds of improvements you can do and what the government will cover, check out this summary from Energy Star.

For companies that sell solar products, check out SolarPortables, GoGreenSolar and the Solar Guide

Homestead Preserve, Cliffs Communities Earn 'Best Preservation Practices' Award

Homestead Preserve is one of six communities receiving “Best Preservation Practices” honors in Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes magazine’s 2009 Best of the Mountains Awards.  The magazine cited Homestead Preserve’s conservation of more than 10,000 acres of land with The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Outdoors Foundation as well as its strict architectural guidelines as primary reasons for the award. 

Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes also praised Homestead Preserve’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the Old Dairy Community Center in Warm Springs.  In 2007, Homestead Preserve developers completed a $6 million restoration of the 1920s agricultural complex and community icon.  Old Dairy is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Virginia Historic Landmark.

“We are honored to be recognized for the fourth year running in Mountain Homes’ ‘Best of the Mountains’ awards,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren.  “The fact that we make the list year after year attests to our ongoing commitment to the environment and the community of Bath County.”

The five other communities honored for “Best Preservation Practices” this year include Balsam Mountain Preserve in Sylva, NC; Cold Mountain in Asheville, NC; Red Wolf Run in Asheville, NC; The Cliffs Communities in North Carolina and South Carolina; and The Preserve at English Mountain in Sevierville, TN.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. 

Olde Stone Strives For Sustainability, "Green Restaurant" Designation

The Club at Olde Stone, KY chefs planted this herb garden.

The Club at Olde Stone, KY, a private golf and lifestyle community in the hills of Kentucky, is making important strides to increase environmental stewardship. The club recently started recycling and composting programs, and club chefs planted an herb garden just outside the dining room. The garden is a convenient and healthful way to use local ingredients, and provides flavor found only in herbs picked fresh from the earth. 

The club is also hoping to earn the “Green Restaurant” designation, working with the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a non-profit organization whose mission is to blend environmental sustainability with cost effectiveness and convenience. If The Club at Olde Stone does earn this recognition, it will be one of only 52 Green Restaurant certified restaurants. 

While working toward Green Restaurant certification, Olde Stone continues their immediate efforts to go green, including using local products and implementing their recycling and composting initiatives. Click here for more information on The Club at Olde Stone!

Eco-Quiz: How High Is Your Green IQ?

El Dorado Ranch, Mexico: One of GolfCourseHome Network's GreenGolfCommunities

From Zero Energy Homes to Drip Irrigation to knowing your carbon footprint and more, it's important to be familiar with the growing lexicon of the environmental movement. Answer the below questions and see how green you are! Answers follow the quiz.

Test Your Green IQ

1. Biodiversity

a) A university sociology class

b) The variety of life in all forms, levels and combinations in a given location. Often used as a measure of the health of biological systems

c) The name of the latest and greatest rock band from Seattle

2. Carbon footprint

a) A measure of one’s environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas production www.carbonfootprint.com

b) The foot-shaped image left in the sky after astronauts visit space

c) What the black soles of the new $200 Nike Fireball sneakers leave behind

3. CSA

a) Common Sense Answer

b) Community Supported Agriculture. Farm membership system through which members make a seasonal financial commitment to a farm, and receive weekly produce in return. www.localharvest.org

c) Celery Stalks Association. Promotes the use of celery in recipes and snacks. Promotional ads are now running on the Food Channel on the Rachael Ray program among others

4. Drip Irrigation

a) Water-conserving system allowing water to drip directly into soil via a system of installed pipes with small holes.

b) What you experience when your cocktail glass is almost empty

c) The reaction you might have while watching a really sad movie

5. Humanely raised

a) Refers to waking someone up gently

b) The philosophy of rearing children while never yelling at them or asking them to do chores. Most common in utopian communes in south Arizona

c) Food label given to producers providing their food animals with adequate shelter and space, resting areas, nutritious food and the ability to engage in natural behaviors. http://www.certifiedhumane.com

6. LEED

a) License to Eat Environmental Desserts. Given to subscribers of the Slim-Fast diet program who want to eat fatty, sugary foods created according to earth-friendly recipes

b) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Provides verification that a building is “environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.” http://www.usgbc.org

c) The opposite of follow

7. Resin Identification Code

a)  Number on plastic containers indicating recycling capabilities. In most communities, #1 and #2 are the only plastics collected in recycling programs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code

b) Will hopefully be able to include more recyclable items in the future

c) A and B

8. Sustainable development

a) “Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” www.un.org/esa/sustdev

b) Better than arrested development

c) Buildings constructed sturdily so they don’t fall down

9. USDA Organic

a) Cleaner, healthier food source

b)  United States Department of Agriculture label given to food grown without conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and certain other materials. Organically raised livestock are raised without antibiotics, growth hormones, or in most countries, genetic modification

c) A and B

10. Zero Energy Homes

a) Produce as much energy as they consume

b) Use no energy. Examples include tents and lean-tos. Also refers to homes that have been abandoned and are awaiting the wrecking ball or the action of the local government to rehab them

c) Are run by hired help, so you can save your energy

How did you do?
1. b
2. a
3. b
4. a
5. c
6. b
7. c
8. a.
9. c
10. a

8-10 correct: You are leafy green!
5-7 correct: You have a green thumb.
2-4 correct: You are the other kind of green (but you can still learn).
0-1 correct: You are experiencing a brownout.

El Dorado Ranch, Featuring Solar Power, Is Added to GreenGolfCommunities.net

El Dorado Ranch, Mexico: Beachfront, golf and green.

El Dorado Ranch in San Felipe, Mexico, has been added to
GreenGolfCommunities.net and awarded Vanguard status.
More than 17,500 acres of El Dorado Ranch's 35,000 acre
development are designated "Green Space" to preserve
the integrity of the surrounding environment.

Among its many green accomplishments, El Dorado features
the largest solar community in North America.  With
approximately 3,000 solar lots, the development has
attracted the attention of many solar lobbyists,
environmentalists and solar engineers, becoming a model for
solar energy usage, according to the community developer.

You can request further information about El Dorado here.

Additional initiatives at El Dorado include:

• The pioneering of Straw Bale construction in Baja. In
  constructing  the first straw bale home in Baja, the
  community has actively promoted this environmentally
  friendly construction method.  El Dorado is now the
  largest strawbale community in North America
• El Dorado Ranch is in full compliance with Profepa
  (Mexican Government's Environmental Protection
  Agency). The community has a full-time Ecology
  Department managed by Victor Zazueta. The
  department is responsible for both El Dorado Ranch
  and the San Felipe Beach Club in the following areas:

• Follow up and coordinate conditions given by the
  environmental authorities

• Follow up and coordinate the environmental
  administration plans

• Supervise and control all ecological aspects of El Dorado
  Ranch and San Felipe Beach Club

• Legal representative of the environmental issues
  with environmental authorities

• Study, investigation, taxonomy and life cycle of native
  species of wildlife

• Keep ecology file updated and in order

Holy Cow! Endangered Right Whale & Calf Spotted off Amelia Island Plantation

Amelia Island Plantation, FL: Right whales seen off coast.

Christina Nelson, Nature Program Manager at Amelia Island
Plantation, recently spied  In the shallow waters off the beach
at The Dunes Club a sight she had been waiting 12 years to
see--Right Whales. There off the coast a mother and her
young calf remained on the surface of the water for at least
an hour before traveling northward along the coastline toward
the Amelia Inn & Beach Club.

“I watched in awe as the youngster submerged then floated
to the surface blowing water from its blow holes," she said
excitedly. "The calf would swim around the mother, pause
to nurse, and then flip its tail as it investigated the
dolphins that were passing by. I got a few pictures--most
look like black logs floating on the ocean, but the memory
will remain with me forever,” said Nelson.

Right whales are one of the most endangered whale species
with only about 300 remaining. In spring and summer
Northern Right whales swim along the coast of Canada and
New England where they feed on plankton. In late fall and
early winter, the pregnant females make their annual
migration to the warm coastal waters off South Carolina,
Georgia, and Northeast Florida where they give birth. 

The waters off these southeastern states are designated as
Right Whale Critical Habitat because it is the only calving
area known for this whale. Amelia Island Plantation, which
has its own Nature Center and Staff Naturalist, is featured
on www.GreenGolfCommunities.net.

These 13 Leaders in Green Golf Community Development Are in the VANGUARD

Suncadia, WA: Pristine and in the Vanguard.

The leading environmentally involved golf communities--
those who are not only pursuing green policies at their
development, but are also pioneering new ways to be
green--are designated at the Vanguard Level on
GreenGolfCommunities.net.

GreenGolfCommunities.net mission is to assist real estate
buyers in determining the level of activism a community is
following as well as provide insights into its future arc of
involvement.

The four designations used by GreenGolfCommunities.net—
Vanguard, Steward, Sustaining and Participant—represent
current levels of involvement and commitment.

VANGUARD

The top level is Vanguard. Vanguard Level properties are
driven to innovate and take the lead in environmental
activism. These early adapters pioneer green efforts and
aggressively seek out new ways to be environmentally
progressive. Vanguard communities embark on virtually all
of the basic and expected measures for a master-planned
golf course community, then push further to help define
new directions for their industry to follow.   

You'll note below that community green programs are
described as Significant Green Space, Nature Center,
Education & Research, Audubon Sanctuary and more. Go
to 18 Ways to Be Green for a complete explanation of all
18 categories cited.

VANGUARD Level

Bayside, Selbyville, Delaware

    * Significant Green Space
    * Nature Center
    * Conservation Trust
    * Funding of Environmental Initiatives
    * Research Partnership
    * Green Volunteerism
    * Additional Awards

The Cliffs at Glassy, Landrum, South Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Habitat Restoration
    * Green Construction
    * Conservation Trust
    * Funding of Environmental Initiatives
    * Research Partnership
    * Additional Awards

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, NC: Splendor in the mtns.

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Asheville, North Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Green Construction
    * Conservation Trust
    * Funding of Environmental Initiatives
    * Research Partnership
    * Additional Awards

Daniel Island, Charleston, South Carolina 

    * Significant Green Space
    * Audubon Sanctuary
    * Additional Awards
    * Pedestrian Commerce Center

Ford’s Colony, Williamsburg, Virginia

    * Significant Green Space
    * Habitat Restoration
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Watershed Preservation
    * Additional Awards

Hasentree, Raleigh, North Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Green Construction
    * Watershed Preservation
    * Nature Center

Huntsman Springs, Driggs, Idaho

    * Significant Green Space
    * Conservation Trust
    * Nature Center
    * Dark Sky Initiative
    * Habitat Restoration
    * Staff Naturalist

Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Research Partnership
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Conservation Trust
    * Pedestrian Commerce Center
    * Additional Awards

Seabrook Island, Charleston, South Carolina

    * Nature Center
    * Green Volunteerism
    * Additional Awards
    * Significant Green Space
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Audubon Sanctuary
    * Habitat Restoration

Sea Pines Plantation, SC: Green for pros and residents.

Sea Pines Plantation, Hilton Head, South Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Nature Center
    * Audubon Sanctuary
    * Staff Naturalist
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Common Gardens

Spring Island, Beaufort, South Carolina

    * Conservation Trust
    * Audubon Sanctuary
    * Significant Green Space
    * Staff Naturalists
    * Nature Center
    * Additional Awards

St. James Plantation, Southport, North Carolina

    * Significant Green Space
    * Audubon Sanctuary
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Research Partnership
    * Green Volunteerism
    * Common Gardens

Suncadia, Roslyn, Washington

    * Significant Green Space
    * Conservation Trust
    * Habitat Preservation
    * Watershed Preservation
    * Green Construction
    * Pedestrian Commerce Center

13 Communities Earn GolfCourseHome's(R) 'Vanguard' Green Leadership Award

Huntsman Springs, ID: Green, space, dark skies & more.

Thirteen of the 200 master-planned communities
featured on the GolfCourseHome(R) Network have earned
the highest level of achievement--Vanguard status--on the
Network's new GreenGolfCommunities.net website which
charts leadership in developing green-environmentally
progressive programs at golf and waterview communities.

The Network's GreenGolfCommunities.net  website states
that "Vanguard level properties are driven to innovate and
take the lead in environmental activism. These early adapters
pioneer green efforts and aggressively seek out new ways to
be environmentally progressive.

"Vanguard communities embark on virtually all of the basic
and expected measures for a master-planned golf course
community, then push further to help define new directions
for their industry to follow."

Community activity in noted in 18 different categories:

• Significant Green Space
• Staff Naturalist
• Nature Center
• Education & Research
• Audubon Sanctuary
• Audubon Signature
• Habitat Restoration
• Green Construction (LEED, etc.)
• Conservation Foundation
• Research Partnership
• Volunteer Program
• Common Gardens
• Additional Awards
• Pedestrian Commerce Center
• New Urbanism
• Innovation/Rails to Trails Paths
• Archeological Preserve

Go to 18 Ways to Be Green to more how a community
can be green.