Tag Archive for: Achieves

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has revealed that Janne Lehto, course manager at Hirsala Golf, has become Finland’s first certified Master Greenkeeper.

Janne, 30, is chairperson of the Finnish Greenkeepers Association and is an agronomist for the Finnish Golf Union. He began his career at Hirsala, before spells at Loch Lomond Golf Club in Scotland and Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. He returned to Hirsala in 2016, before taking on the course manager role in 2017.

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

Course manager achieves Master Greenkeeper status

Hirsala hosted the Finnish Open in 2011 and 2015, but is also considered one of the most forward-thinking and environmentally conscious golf clubs anywhere. The club is GEO Certified and has worked alongside WWF Finland on a number of projects including wetland management, waterway restoration and marine conservation. Additionally, the club powers machinery using biofuel rather than fossil fuels and both the clubhouse and maintenance facility have solar panels that means all of Hirsala’s electricity needs are fulfilled by the club itself. Fairways and rough are mown by autonomous mowers, each powered by clean energy drawn from the Hirsala’s solar power system.

The Master Greenkeeper Certificate is awarded to those members of BIGGA who have reached the highest standards of greenkeeping and golf course management. Candidates must pass three stages to achieve the certification, including an assessment of golf course operations and a case study and technical examination. They must also have 10 years’ experience as a greenkeeper with at least three years spent in a course manager, head greenkeeper or superintendent position.

“I was pretty thrilled,” said Janne of the moment he received a phone call from BIGGA’s Deb Burnett telling him he had become BIGGA’s 89th Master Greenkeeper. “It was a great feeling to get the process done because I started it over two years ago, but was held up by the COVID-19 pandemic that meant I could not have a course inspection, there being no other Master Greenkeepers in Finland. I started greenkeeping in 2011 and I’m always looking to develop myself and progress my career, so this was the natural next step.”

Head to the BIGGA website for more information about Master Greenkeeper and the other professional qualifications available to greenkeepers.

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Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification

Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification: Carbon Gold, the Bristol-based supplier of enriched biochar to the turf, arb and grower markets in the UK and Europe, has achieved B Corp status.

The certification, which is a global standard used to measure a for-profit company’s social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency, is described as being to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee.

Carbon Gold Achieves Business Certification

The accreditation means Carbon Gold has successfully surpassed the rigorous standards set by the non-profit B Lab to become certified as a conscientious business that operates sustainably in its markets, cares for its employees, and has a positive impact on the world.

Craig Sams, Executive Chairman at Carbon Gold, says, “Carbon Gold has always been about making a difference.  Whether that’s helping trees flourish in the face of pests and diseases, boosting commercial growers’ yields to help them meet growing demand and stay profitable, or sequestering carbon permanently in soil to combat climate change.  It’s important that, as a business, we reflect those positive commercial goals.”

“I think in the corporate world, if you were to think of companies as people, you wouldn’t want to be friends with a lot of them.  From the beginning, we’ve always said we would not operate like that.  We want our team to enjoy working for us and we want our customers and commercial partners to enjoy being part of our stakeholder group.”

Kate Sandle, Community Manager at B Lab UK, says, “As a movement of companies who believe business can be a force for good, we are delighted to welcome Carbon Gold to the B Corp community.  We need more businessmen like Craig Sams to champion the health of our planet.  The addition of Carbon Gold to our diverse community is important to continue driving the change we seek across all sectors.”

B-Corp status is the latest in a suite of accreditations for Carbon Gold which is also FSC certified, approved by the Soil Association for use in organic food production, approved for use in biodynamic systems through the globally recognised Demeter standard, and corporate members of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).

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