Better is always possible.

With the flurry of excitement and schedule of activities surrounding the golf tournament, you might not immediately notice the quiet presence of Kohler’s Believing in Better® efforts hard at work in the background. And yet, as our path toward a better planet, better communities, and better lives, Believing in Better is an integral component of all we do at Kohler.

BELIEVING IN BETTER IN ACTION

By building on and expanding established initiatives, we’ve been able to bring our Believing in Better values to the 43rd Ryder Cup and help make a positive impact on the environment, our local community, and individual lives across the world.

Listed below are a few of the initiatives taking place in and around Kohler. If you’d like to know more about the work we do year in and year out, check out our 2020 Believing in Better Report.

Better Planet

Food-Waste Recycling

In September 2019, Destination Kohler introduced a composting program for nine resort restaurants, our banquet halls, and a production kitchen. Since the program’s inception, we have diverted 57,158 pounds of food waste from landfills. In addition to composting, we’ve instituted the Red Bucket program which collects noncompostable food waste, like meat and dairy products, across the resort. This waste is then converted to energy via Woodlake Market’s Grind to Energy program. 

Renewable Energy

While we’ve been using 100% renewable electricity for Kohler’s U.S. and Canada operations since late in 2018, we’re pleased to say Whistling Straits is powered by renewable energy as well. 

Going beyond Kohler’s own operations, we recently teamed up with Alliant Energy to build the Kohler Solar Field, a 2.25-megawatt ground-mounted solar system, at Kohler’s headquarters campus in Kohler, Wisconsin. The clean power partnership between the two companies will provide enough clean energy to power 580 homes per year beginning by the end of this year. 

Better Communities

Habitat for Humanity Donations

As part of our stewardship efforts, we encourage our associates to bring their passion for good to the communities where they live and work. To facilitate that effort, we partner with humanitarian organizations around the world that have networks in place that a manufacturer simply doesn’t.

We are fortunate to count Habitat for Humanity as one of our partners. Through this partnership, Kohler and our associates have enthusiastically participated in the effort required to change a family’s life.

Putting on a huge golf event demands an influx of furniture pieces to keep our guests comfortable. To benefit the community (and the environment), picnic tables, staircases, and furniture from the grounds at Whistling Straits will be made available after the event to our local Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Better Lives

Global Water Discovery Center

Building on Kohler’s long-standing commitment to safe water and sanitation for all, we’re hosting the Global Water Discovery Center for free public tours. An interactive mobile exhibit, the Discovery Center is designed to teach people about water as an essential resource facing severe challenges around the globe and inspire them to take action. The exhibit will be located at the Shops at Woodlake in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Kohler Run for Safe Water

Similarly, the Kohler Run for Safe Water in-person and virtual run/walk events are taking place and kicking off during the week of the Ryder Cup. We match every kilometer logged virtually on our Strava challenge with $1, up to $200,000, to fund safe water efforts around the globe.

Safe Water for All Exhibit

Offering visitors a glimpse of what it means to live without safe water, and the time wasted and the physical toll of collecting it, the Safe Water for All Exhibit documents the actions Kohler and our partners are taking to help solve the global water crisis. The exhibit will be located at the Kohler Design Center in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Believing in Better is integral to the way we do things at Kohler.