Kiawah Goes Greener Initiative |
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The Town is pleased to announce the Kiawah Goes Greener initiative, which unites and formalizes an interagency commitment by Kiawah's major entities to continued environmental stewardship and advancement of eco-friendly business practices. This initiative results from an ad-hoc working group led by Kiawah Island Council Member Dr. Scott Parker with representation from the Town, Kiawah Island Community Association, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island Club, and the Kiawah Conservancy.
The goal of Kiawah Goes Greener is to create a multi-year plan to reduce the island's carbon footprint as a whole and adopt other eco-friendly initiatives into daily operations in addition to the many practices already in place.
Objectives include:
- Create a detailed scope of practices with implementation timelines and accountability
- Reduce Hydrocarbon use
- Decrease plastics usage
- Work toward adding EV charging infrastructure to accommodate and encourage the use of electric vehicles
- Explore the use of solar panels (where allowed) to increase local electrical production
- Develop metrics to allow us to track our changes in current practice
Possible measures to achieve these goals include but are not limited to reducing the amount of waste created by our organizations, increase the use of electric-powered maintenance equipment instead of gasoline, transition utility vehicles from gas to electric where feasible, replace our use of incandescent lightbulbs with LED, increase water stations on some golf courses, eliminate water bottles to the extent possible, and continue to promote and increase recycling and repurposing.
Each entity's current and future efforts are detailed below.
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In 2019, the Town passed a Single-Use Plastics Ban prohibiting all businesses operating within the Town from possessing or distributing products with the highest carbon footprint, including single-use plastic carryout bags, plastic straws, and products made from polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), including food service ware. In addition, balloons on the beach were also prohibited.
Over the next several years, the Town expects to transition most of the vehicle fleet to EV during existing replacement cycles to the extent possible given our emergency vehicle needs, preorder the new 2022 Ford F-150 Lighting Electric Vehicle, install EV charging stations at the Municipal Center, work with the Architectural Review Board on solar panel installation consideration where allowed, and reduce the use of nitrogen phosphate fertilizer in our landscaping projects and replace with biostimulants.
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The Kiawah Island Club has committed to a large-scale project to decrease the usage of plastic water bottles with the goal of eventually eliminating all plastic bottles on Club property. This fall, they began by installing nine free-standing water stations throughout Club facilities, reducing over 200K water bottles on the island per year.
Over the next five years, the Club will transition utility vehicles and utility equipment from gas to electric, transition lightbulbs to LED, install Compost to-go containers to participate in the
composting program Compost NOW, and use solar panels for future club facilities when possible.
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KICA's Land and Lakes Department has chosen one landscaping crew to test and evaluate battery-operated equipment for their commercial operations. There will be a six-month trial period of the new equipment to assess battery life, effectiveness, usability, fuel savings, maintenance requirements, and noise reduction. Currently, 17 out of 19 pieces have been acquired and are in use. In February 2022, a complete analysis of the feasibility and utility will be presented.
To better understand KICA's emissions, the association is compiling a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory utilizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Local GHG Inventory Tool. KICA is using this tool, along with data from 2019, to develop a baseline understanding of total emissions (metric tons of CO2) across all departments. KICA will use the results of this baseline inventory to understand annual emissions, compare to future GHG inventories and identify areas for improvement moving forward.
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The Kiawah Conservancy supports these efforts as an accredited land trust organization dedicated to preserving wildlife habitat on Kiawah Island and through active land management. Beyond the borders of their preserved properties, they promote the use of wildlife-friendly landscapes with lush vegetation through their Naturally Kiawah Recognition Program.
Kiawah Conservancy will continue to promote and educate our residents on the use of native plants and nature-based solutions, which will increase the island's capacity to sequester atmospheric carbon. This includes their new Rain Garden Program, initiated in 2021, and demonstration garden at the Conservancy office. They will continue to work with partnering organizations to learn more about the island's ability to sequester carbon and create a sustainable community resilient to climate challenges.
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Stewardship remains one of Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s 10 Core Values and reflects their organization’s unwavering commitment to the natural environment which has been a vital part of their corporate philosophy.
Below is an outline of specific environmentally responsible building materials, products, and technologies the Kiawah Island Golf Resort has integrated into recent and ongoing construction projects and additional steps taken or under consideration in landscaping and golf operations.
Electric charging stations are available at The Sanctuary and Villa Registration at West Beach. At The Chapel, Laundry facility, Night Heron Park Pavilion, and Cougar Point, KIGR installed low-flow toilets and 100% LED lighting. These facilities have maximized HVAC systems with low load configurations, spot cooling rather than fully conditioned spaces, single zone cooling during unoccupied periods, and modification of chillers.
The Resort utilizes electric-powered landscaping equipment where feasible, which equates to 15% of their overall equipment. They are currently testing Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex Series mowers that carry no hydraulic fluid, utilize all-electric components for traction, steering, lift, and cutting, and have noticeable noise reduction.
They will continue to stay abreast of emerging technologies that offer environmental efficiencies as they become available and adopt them whenever feasible.
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