Across golf, sustainability is quickly gaining momentum, boosted by growing industry support and commitment. Jacobsen, a Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT) company and one of the major players in the turf maintenance equipment sector, will help accelerate this trend through a new global partnership agreement with the Golf Environment Organization. This will see the organizations broaden their collaboration to jointly promote awareness, understanding and solutions in the Americas and Asia as well as Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Jacobsen is committed to helping golf businesses around the world strengthen their environmental performance. They have also brought sustainability into the heart of their own principles and practices; employing innovative techniques to manufacture, recycle and help dispose of machinery, and investing in hybrid and electric technology to offering some of the cleanest, most fuel efficient and lowest polluting machines available.
Through significant, long-standing support for GEO, Jacobsen is also investing in bringing practical and credible sustainability programs for golf course management, renovation and new development to practitioners around the world.
GEO is a non-profit organization entirely dedicated to sustainability in golf; building awareness, developing and administering golf’s ecolabel, GEO Certified™, and delivering programs to help clubs and developments achieve the distinction.
Based on a long-standing relationship with Ransomes Jacobsen, Jacobsen’s UK subsidiary that has supported GEO’s pioneering work to help the industry embrace the environmental opportunities and challenges in sector, the new worldwide Jacobsen agreement will strengthen efforts and results.
Jonathan Smith, Chief Executive of the Golf Environment Organization said, “GEO is privileged to have such a dedicated partner, committed to continued investment in the things that make sustainability more accessible and productive to golf businesses. Jacobsen has supported GEO from the very start and has made a significant difference in the development, delivery, and awareness of the solutions we provide for the golf community.
“Like every sector of business and society, golf needs sustainability leadership and now Jacobsen has stepped forward strongly. This is a prominent and respected industry stakeholder investing back into their industry to advance a subject that’s fundamental to the future growth of the industry, their own business and of course, of much wider importance to people and the planet.”
David Withers, President of Jacobsen, responded: “Jacobsen is a global company and GEO has global relevance and solutions, with programs accessible worldwide in a growing number of languages and a high quality, credible and increasingly recognized international ecolabel for golf. Expanding our partnership to encompass all of the Jacobsen business units around the globe makes good sense, further aligns our outlook and will multiply many new positive outcomes.
“For the environment and the long-term strength of the industry, we want to help create more sustainable approaches, through our own product development and green initiatives and support for other credible, dynamic organizations. We are very proud to endorse and support the work GEO does to give people the motivation, guidance and solutions to take more and better action.”
Alan Prickett, Jacobsen Managing Director for Asia Pacific added, “In the Asia Pacific region we are seeing pressure for valuable resources such as land, water and energy and it is vitally important that future golf facilities and resorts are built with sustainable development at the forefront. This has to happen right from the initial planning phase through to completion and then be continued through the life of the course.
“For golf to be successful in the region it must bring world-class quality to the Asian market and with it a desire to embrace the best of international programming, cross country accessibility to the relevant information and documentation through easily translatable content, to support sustainable golf development and course management.”
Mr. Prickett also serves as the Chair of the Asian Golf Industry Federation Environmental sub- committee.
About GEO
GEO is an international non-profit dedicated to supporting and promoting golf’s corporate responsibility and environmental action. GEO works with and is supported by environmental and scientific groups, and stakeholders throughout the global golf community: corporate and industry sponsors including Jacobsen, Rolex and UPS; golf organizations including The European Tour, The R&A, the Club Managers Associations of Europe, America and China; and a growing number of golf federations and national associations of course owners, greenkeepers and superintendents, and architects.