Fairmont Southampton Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda

The project The most obvious manifestations of Fairmont Southampton’s environmental stewardship programs are the nearly 200 native Bermuda cedar trees raised and planted so far, but the program is much more multi-faceted than that. The course earned Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary certification in 2006. That campaign encompassed five areas: environmental planning, outreach and education, coastal clean-ups. chemical use reduction and safety and water conservation and management. What they did The endangered Bermuda cedar trees are propagated on site and offered by the resort to guests celebrating a wedding or anniversary to plant in their names around the golf course and the island. In conjunction with the local Audubon Society, bluebird boxes were installed on the course and resort grounds. Maintenance and storage facilities were renovated and a certified spray technician was hired to reduce and provide safer chemical use. The course irrigation system was upgraded to reduce water use. A water conservation system including a one million gallon rain collection system, a reverse osmosis system and an on-site sewage treatment system utilizing UV treatment and biological breakdown was created, allowing treated effluent to be used for golf course irrigation. An integrated pest management program was applied to reduce pesticide use. The payoff The golf course became the first and only course in Bermuda thus far to receive Audubon International certification, and the “Leave It Green” project earned the 2007 Fairmont Corporate Award as Fairmont’s “Environmental Hotel of the Year.” Officials credit publicity for the award and the hotel’s efforts with contributing to the property’s record-breaking sales and revenue performance for 2007. The nearly 200 endemic Bermuda cedars planted on the golf course to date are projected to remove 376,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from the property’s carbon footprint. The upgraded effluent supply and computer controlled irrigation system project to save $35,000 a year in labor. Water quality management practices have dramatically reduced the amount of chlorine needed to treat the effluent, with projected annual savings of $80,000. Additionally, a waste diversion proposal for the two Fairmont Bermuda hotels is projected to save an estimated $415,000 per year.