THE Old Head Golf Links, Kinsale has been announced as the winner of the Visit Cork 2024 Green Award.
The awards programme was established in 2020 to encourage and reward businesses in the tourism sector across the county that demonstrate a commitment to operating sustainably.
Applications were judged on their projects and initiatives across areas such as Environmental, Social, Governance and Economic Sustainability.
Anne-Marie Duggan, HR Manager at The Old Head Golf Links said they are thrilled to have won the Visit Cork Green Award in recognition of all their hard work and we will continue this journey of continuous improvement each year.’
‘The Old Head is steeped in history and it is our role to maintain and respect the natural environment where we are located, by sustaining the native plant and animal life that are integral to the Old Head experience,’ she said
‘But it is also to make the necessary changes to our infrastructure and policies, to ensure that we are operating as a sustainable business. We have been working extremely hard over the last few years to make initial improvements, particularly around waste management. Consequently, we reduced our general waste from 42,375kg in 2023 to 27,666kg in 2024, with 14,629kg of food waste diverted to the brown compost bin instead of the general waste. Our employees have shown a great interest in our sustainability efforts, by implementing and supporting relevant initiatives for their departments.'
Head of Visit Cork, Seamus Heaney, said they were delighted with the quality of the applications for the Visit Cork Green Awards this year.
‘One element that really stood out this year was the commitment to staff training and team engagement, with businesses demonstrating the importance of getting their teams involved and helping to provide them with the necessary information and skills to drive their sustainability agenda,’ he said.
‘One of the elements that most impressed the judges in the Old Head Golf Links application, was their recent initiative to improve their waste management processes. Through the introduction of new segregated bins, use of clear signage and a comprehensive waste audit conducted over several weeks, the business managed to make significant changes in the habits of both the staff and guests. This was just one element of their application, which also included a strong commitment to biodiversity as well as the ongoing work towards the implementation of the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management System.’
