A sustainable tournament
Play Golf 54 by Montecchia group together with US Kids Golf always committed to sustainability. Here are some actions taken in past editions and now improved for the Venice Open 2023:
1- Operation Pollinator
• production and sale of honey “Miele Millebuche” (Thousand Holes Honey)
• new hives has been installed both in Golf Montecchia and in Golf Frassanelle
• increased the wild area both in in Golf Montecchia and in Golf Frassanelle with specific signs placement
• introduction of new floral species
2- Plastic free project
• installation of automatic water dispensers throughout the golf course
• installation of automatic water dispensers in the restaurant
• distribution of water bottles
• collection of plastic cups
• waste management
• collection of exhausted battery
3- Fundraising for charity-related organization
• Isola che c’è (Pediatrich Hospital of Padua)
• AVO (Volunteers at Padua Hospital Association)
4- Healthy meal operation
• new food and beverage management in Montecchia and Frassanelle in compliance with health and environmental sustainability
• possibility of personalized menus with preference for local, seasonal and organic food
• creation of an organic vegetable garden in Golf Montecchia
• golf car “food&beverage“ fitted out with recycled materials
5- “3 R” initiative
• 3R initiative, in order to maximise our Recycling, Reusing, and Reducing
• several items produced with over 95% of recycled materials (reuse of 80% of banners and other equipment utilized in the previous edition, unserviceable banners utilized in the previous editions used for other purposes, house for our organic garden, furniture of superintendent’s office and caddy master, insect houses, garbage cans, green flags and driving range targets)
6- Other actions
• use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper
• sponsors and technical partners selection in light of their activities involved in environmental sustainability
• communication and sharing of the environmental sustainability message with young players and their families, visitors and technical partners
• increased communication on social media and in local and national media
• specific questionnaire for children and family members, staff and volunteers
For this 9th editon these are the new goals developed:
1- OneOcean Foundation: More Birdies Less Plastic
The initiative is part of the One Ocean Foundation No Plastic in the Ocean environmental project, which has made it possible to collect over 100 tons of plastic waste over the past two years.
The first initiative dedicated to the world of golf to fight marine pollution from plastic: for every birdie made during the competition, 1 kg of plastic waste will be removed from the coastline, preventing it from ending up in the ocean.
2- Onlus Insolito Posto: Barrier-free tourism
A social holiday home where we pay attention to the tiniest of details, making for an accessible and ‘sensitive’ holiday experience. Insolito Posto is a place free from physical, sensory and cultural barriers, open to all, where meeting people is the real focus.
3- Introduction to a new more sustainable turf mowers
Presented a questionnaire on the test currently underway at the Golf della Montecchia in collaboration with Husqvarna and three Universities (Bologna, Padova and Pisa), aimed at verifying the sustainability of the new electric robots mowers.
4- Placed waste battery disposal
Waste batteries contain materials which, if lost, contributes to seriously polluting the environment. For each ton of batteries, about 300 kg of zinc, 250 kg of iron and nickel and other materials such as plastic, magnesium and lead are recovered and can be recycled.
5- Aperol Spritz corner: local culture and tradition
Aperol is an alcoholic aperitif invented in Padua in 1880 by the Barbieri family. Officially presented at the Padua Trade Fair on 21 July 1919, it is characterized by a red-orange color and a bitter sweet taste. Endowed with an alcohol content of 11°, it is obtained by infusion into alcohol of orange, herbs (including rhubarb) and roots.
It is often combined with other drinks to make cocktails, the best known of which is spritz.
In the fifties, the traditional Venetian spritz made with white wine and seltz was in fact modified with the following recipe: 4 cl of Aperol, 6 cl of Prosecco and a spray of seltz or soda.
Since then, the spritz has been inseparably linked to Aperol.