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The Greening of Tennis 
GM/Tennis Director at Mt. Tam Racquet Club www.mttamrc.com |
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Sustaining Sustainability There is no sector in the business world that has a greater obligation to "green issues", or better called, sustainability, than the health and fitness industry. The very name of our industry creates that obligation. In recent years, with tennis becoming more and more a part of the health and fitness industry, it seems fitting that the tennis world should also feel obliged to make a substantial investment in environmental issues and a more "green" approach to running a business. Along with that, is the fact that the industry is perfectly poised to take on such an investment. This is true for two very important reasons, first, most of our sport lives and takes place in the outdoors. The air we breathe and the weather we enjoy are not a given and anything we can do to help those factors is a positive for tennis. Second, the action we take to become more green is a very positive message to all our members which through our influence will pass on. Most clubs have a sizable footprint on their community. It's not just the real estate that large tennis courts consume, but also the clout they have through their membership. As a club we can use those facts and create change. As it is often said, every little contribution makes a difference. Below is a list of projects that the Mt. Tam Racquet Club has taken on in the past 20 years. They may not seem like much in themselves but have added up to be very impacting. 1. The implementation in 2001 of a 150-kilowatt photovoltaic solar panel system, which recently was upgraded to a 245-kilowatt system. When first installed is was the largest west of the Mississippi. Having the roof of a two-acre building, turned out to be the perfect location. The panels also helped postpone the wear and tear on the roof from weather damage and contributed to the insulation for those hot summer days. 2. The water crises in California motivated us to install a new irrigation system that is connected to a weather station and will auto turn off if rain is in the forecast. It also monitors any leaks and learns how to saturate areas where certain plants or trees either need more or less water. 3. When the water crises hit, members began to take more showers at the club, a habit that many facilities experiences unfortunately. Putting timers on the showers would either notify the member as to the length of their shower or be adjusted to just turn off. Special shower heads that only emitted 1.5 gallons per minute but still provided a strong spray made a significant difference. For most clubs, their shower usage is about 70 to 80% of their water use. 4. The recycle program is unique. We like many other clubs located recycle receptacles in key places of the club, but on top of that, we had our janitorial staff make sure that items were properly placed in the right bins. 5. Although most people may not recognize a saline based pool (often called a salt pool) as part of being green, this program produces much less toxic chemicals that can end up in our environment one way or another. 6. Solar parking lights were both an easy replacement and a wonderful way of monitoring the timing of the lights. They are set up to learn when to go on and off during any time of the year. They use rechargeable batteries. 7. The washing of the courts has been a long-time tradition of tennis clubs, but using a large court cleaning Tennant machine, cleans the courts with 10% of the water used to wash and can be done in sections so that an entire portion of the tennis facility does not have to be shut down. 8. If you are like most clubs, you provide towels and towels require a laundry service. The new quick spin and quick dry washers and dryers use much less energy and water. They also allow your towel inventory to stay full when there is great demand. 9. Thera are
several odds and ends that also contribute…water fountains that when used show
the member the number of plastic cups saved by using a water
bottle, both cups and package that are recyclable are used in
the café, using tennis balls and cans for both recycling and for insulation and finally, making
sure every light fixture is LED. We are in Marin, California, a very environmentally conscious community. By taking these steps we have sent a message to our members that we are invested in our community and are working side-by-side with anyone who has this same approach to the environment. The member has pride in their club and feels a part of this process, all of which both attracts members and retains members. There is also the obvious savings to the club. The above projects might have required an initial investment, but over the years, the payback has been well worth-while. We also hedged ourselves against rising cost in the energy and water, something that many clubs are impacted by as years go on, usually resulting in a loss of income or forced increased cost to members through dues, something that members realize over time and greatly appreciate. So, what does the future have
in store…one thing for sure, improvement and innovation
in the sustainable industry. Both older clubs will need to make
renovations and newer clubs will need to implement these practices
when they are in the process of development. Remember, it's
not just a worthy cause; it saves you money and is great P. R.
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