GEO Foundation
GEO Foundation
Profile
GEO Foundation is the international not-for-profit dedicated to helping golf to deliver and be recognized for a positive impact for people and nature.Inspiring golf to fully embrace sustainability and promoting a shared understanding of issues and solutions, working with and through industry associations and businesses.
Providing practical, straightforward online guidance programmes and mentoring, to make it easier for clubs, developments, and tournaments to ask the pertinent questions, improve now and in the future, and confidently share their successes.
Strengthening the reputation of golf clubs and developments and helping golf celebrate great golf environments on the basis of a new collection of real-world data and highlights.
Connecting the efforts and knowledge of the global golf community and recognizing people who are a part of golf’s sustainability movement.
GEO provides three programmes and also administers golf’s sustainability assurance, GEO Certified® - the symbol of great golf environments worldwide, available for golf facility operations, for Developments, and for Renovations.
Rationale
Golf courses, particularly as living urban green spaces, help to clean and protect environmental quality. On the other hand, courses also apply fertilizers and pesticides, and must therefore be careful in the quantity and safety of the applications. Today levels of awareness and training, and standards of operation have never been higher.
Diligence and rigour are important, and safety and pollution prevention should be planned for. All golf-related businesses must work to minimize any risks to the environment and their workforces. Individuals employed in golf course maintenance and development, particularly those who handle, store, apply or dispose of substances that could pollute if dealt with incorrectly, must be aware of their responsibilities and understand the causes and results of pollution. They should know how and when to operate and maintain the equipment they use, and what to do in an emergency.
Eliminating the risk of pollution is critical to realizing one of golf’s most significant contributions to people and their environment - creating clean, healthy and stable naturalized green spaces where people can recreate and enhance their physical and mental well-being.