Environmental award goes to Costa Navarino
Costa Navarino, a four-course golf resort in Greece’s Peloponnese, has been named Europe’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility at the World Golf Awards in Abu Dhabi. The resort, which has gone from strength to strength since the opening of the Bernhard Langer course in 2010 to become one of the best golf destinations in Europe, was built from the outset with numerous environmental requirements in mind and has been delivering a comprehensive Sustainability Report for years. From the beginning, water management, environmental education, energy management and habitat protection played a major role here. Involving local labor and regional businesses that serve as suppliers has also always been part of the operating system.
Less irrigation due to area reduction
Most recently, several new sustainability initiatives have been implemented to continue to meet the requirements of a sustainably managed destination. On both the Bay and Dunes Courses, the areas where grasses are sprinkled have been further reduced. Five percent of the Bay Course and ten percent of the Dunes Course could be taken out of sprinkler irrigation.
Prevention of single use plastic
Through a collaboration with WWF Greece, the plastic pollution problem that existed until the end of 2021 was addressed: The use of single-use plastic was reduced by 38 percent in 2022 alone compared to 2019. Plastic water bottles, which were previously found on golf carts and also sold to golfers, also play a major role. Numerous water dispensers on golf courses now encourage players to use refillable water bottles.
As part of a large-scale decarbonization strategy, Costa Navarino says it has also succeeded in reducing the facility’s CO₂ emissions by 80 percent compared to 2019 levels. In return, the company switched to renewable energy sources for electricity and reduced its consumption of LPG. In addition, the energy consumption per guest and stay was reduced. Costa Navarino is aiming for CO₂-neutral operations by 2050.
