Swedish club wins GEO certification

30 August 2011

Nacka Golfklubb, located in the town of Saltsjö-Boo twenty kilometres from the centre of Stockholm, has become the first of sixty clubs around the Swedish capital to achieve the GEO Certified ecolabel from the Golf Environment Organization.

Nacka is situated in a conservation area that hosts many rare, protected and notable species.“It feels great that our environmental efforts measure up to GEO’s stringent requirements,” said course manager Jonas Liljeblad. “We have worked consciously and intensely with environmental issues for over ten years and today we can say with certainty that we have the right mindset, running our golf facility in harmony with nature and local communities.”

“It's not just about putting up bird feeders. Working to secure the GEO award has improved the way that we organize our team, manage the landscape, and how we use resources – finding savings on electricity, water, fuel and more. There is no limit for improvement.”

Nacka recently built four new holes within a dense forest environment. Swedish golf architect Johan Benestam led the project.

GEO chief executive Jonathan Smith said: “Nacka is demonstrating how closely golf can fit with nature conservation, while also providing a wide range of other social and economic benefits. When viewed in light of the club's drive to use resources sparingly and efficiently, its easy to see how closely the models for sustainable golf management and multifunctionalism intertwine.”