Rio Verde advances to stage two of Audubon International’s Sustainable Communities Program

Rio Verde, an active adult golf community located just northeast of Scottsdale, Arizona, is continuing its efforts to make the community even greener after being named a “Green Community” by Audubon International last May. The distinction was the first of three stages that Rio Verde will go through as part of Audubon International’s Sustainable Communities Program (SCP), a program that helps communities take steps to ensure that they are healthy and vibrant places in which to live, work and play.

One of the initiatives that is currently being implemented for Stage 2 is the development of a 10,000 square foot hummingbird and butterfly garden, which will be located adjacent to the 17th hole on the White Wing course.

Other projects planned for Stage 2 include development of a long range plan for revitalization of the Town Center, the addition of solar panels to the Rio Verde Country Club, increased recycling and public safety initiatives, a regional produce garden, improved bicycle path access, and the continued use of reclaimed water for the golf course.

In addition to the SCP, the community is working hand-in-hand with the Rio Verde Country Club as it enters the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, an education and certification program that helps golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf.

“The club is the focal point of the Rio Verde Community, so we thought it was important to support the community’s efforts and help to make Rio Verde Country Club as sustainable and environmentally-friendly as possible,” said Jay Critcher, general manager at Rio Verde Country Club.

All of the programs and initiatives proposed for stage two will be implemented by the residents of Rio Verde strictly on a volunteer basis. Only a few communities in the country have been named an Audubon Sustainable Community, and Rio Verde would be the first community west of the Mississippi to earn this honorable distinction.

For more information about Audubon International or the Sustainable Communities Program, visit www.aubudoninternational.org.

For more information about the community of Rio Verde, visit www.rioverdehoa.org or call 480.471.2068.

For information about Rio Verde Country Club, visit www.rioverdecc.com or call 480.471.7010.