Best Practices for a Self-Sustaining Club

That’s Chambers’ Director of Architecture Ken Hart’s prediction for the Club of the Future. “It will be a luxury community center that is ‘off the grid,*’ ” he says.
Chambers’ Top 5 Sustainable Practices for the Club of the Future:

Resource use and reuse – for grounds and clubhouse alike, clubs will capture and reuse water, compost organic materials, grow rooftop gardens that provide energy savings and capture runoff that might otherwise pick up contaminants on the way to groundwater sources.  Waste management will be an increasingly integral part of their

sustainability practices

Native landscaping – clubs will opt for indigenous plant species that provide greater wildlife habitat and require significantly less water and maintenance than non-native options. Plantings will also focus on mitigating water runoff and naturalizing outdoor areas

Off the grid – clubs will generate their own natural power via onsite solar and wind energy that will replace reliance on municipal services

Design for sustainability and efficiency – architectural styles, interior design features and building materials will be carefully considered to minimize energy use and incorporate renewable resources where at all possible. Operational technologies will maximize energy use and lower costs

Food production – many clubs will begin growing many of their own fruits and vegetables — truly locally grown

“Off the grid” refers to an existence completely independent from traditional public utility services.