Getting Involved in the GEE ECOManagement Programme:
There are a number of ways to get involved in the GEE ECOManagement Programme. You can work with your national golf environment initiative and attain national and then European recognition.

Alternatively, where a national initiative does not exist, you can work directly with Golf Environment Europe who will advise you on how to progress through the system.

WORKING THROUGH NATIONAL GOLF ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES
Across Europe there are a number of national golf environment initiatives. Often these are operated by partnerships between national golfing and environmental bodies. These initiatives may run a management and certification system which is affiliated to the GEE ECOManagement programme. In this case, certification through the national system will entitle you to also become a GEE ECOManagement site.

All affiliated national systems must incorporate the recognised ECOManagement process and key elements, and must evaluate golf facilities against the published GEE criteria. This means all ECOManagement sites must have:

Golf facilities which have built environmental programmes based on the above process and criteria, and which have been endorsed through their national projects, will be acknowledged within Golf Environment Europe's ECOManagement programme.

'ECOManagement' facilities will also be encouraged to register their environmental statements with their national EMAS registration body, and then to go through formal EMAS verification.

The above process has been designed to enable golf facilities to gradually progress through national registration and recognition processes, to be part of a pan European network of golf facilities, and ultimately to have their work independently verified through the robust structures of EMAS.

We feel this allows for the slow evolution or building of an environmental management programme within golf facilities (with a range of recognition opportunities along the way), and also for national golfing and environmental partners to retain a national identity for their own projects.

WORKING DIRECTLY WITH GOLF ENVIRONMENT EUROPE
It is possible to work directly with Golf Environment Europe to obtain ECOManagement certification. We will provide you with:

We will provide all of this free of charge.

In order to be evaluated and certified you will need to undergo some form of on site assessment. This will involve at least one site visit from one of Golf Environment Europe's Certifications Team. They will undertake an assessment of your environmental practices, making sure that what you present in your environmental statement is actually happening on the ground. They will then present their recommendations to Golf Environment Europe.

The costs of verification are not fixed, but will be somewhere between €1000 and €3000 depending on the size and complexity of the golf facility.

There are no compulsory costs involved in the actual development of your ECOManagement Programme. However, as mentioned, if you are dealing directly with Golf Environment Europe, there will be some necessary charges to be formally verified and thereby become a formal member of the ECOManagement Programme.

Formal EMAS registration and verification will also incur a cost but by the time golf facilities get to this stage we are sure they will value the process and have established good local and national partnerships - creating opportunities for grants and other assistance in going through EMAS accreditation.