Akridge and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Host 200 at Save the Bay Classic

QUEENSTOWN, Md., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington real estate development firm Akridge and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) staged their fourth successful Akridge Save the Bay Classic on Tuesday, dodging the threat of rain for the first time since the event's inception. Widely predicted thunderstorms did not materialize, and nearly 200 golfers enjoyed afternoon sunshine on Queenstown Harbor's two sustainable golf courses. The golf tournament was followed by both live and silent auctions, presenting attendees with an additional opportunity to contribute to the foundation, which has netted close to half a million dollars from the four-year-old tournament. CBF works with governments, businesses, and the public to address the serious and ongoing problem of pollution plaguing the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100721/PH38539LOGO)

John E. "Chip" Akridge, III, Chairman of Akridge, addressed golfers before the tournament start, saying, "The Bay has had some important successes in the past year, and now is the time to focus on making sure that the federal protections won by CBF are implemented. Each of us needs to use what influence we have in support of policies and elected officials that establish and enforce pollution-reduction goals."

CBF won a settlement against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year which requires the federal agency to track and limit pollution from urban stormwater and agricultural runoff, among other sources, across six Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia. Some recent studies have shown incremental improvements in the quality of water flowing into the Bay over the past 25 years, but most tributaries remain in poor condition or worse.

CBF President Will Baker echoed Mr. Akridge when he spoke at the close of the tournament. "While we celebrate our successes, we cannot stop fighting for the Bay. We need to redouble our efforts just to keep achieving measurable improvements year after year."

About Akridge

Akridge is a comprehensive real estate services company that provides acquisition, development, construction management, asset management, property management, leasing, and consulting services. The industry's foremost benchmarking firm, CEL & Associates, has ranked Akridge the number one real estate firm in the country for Client satisfaction, among firms of similar size, 11 times since 1999. Akridge has been honored with the National Capital Business Ethics Award, awarded by the Society of Financial Service Professionals, and has also been recognized as the 'Best Place to Work' in Greater Washington by the Washington Business Journal.  For more information, please visit www.akridge.com.

About The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) educates students and adults, and fights for strong, effective, and consistent laws, regulations, and enforcement to restore and protect the Bay's water quality, plants, and animals. CBF also works cooperatively with governments, business, and citizens in partnerships to protect and restore the Bay. Since its founding in 1967, CBF has achieved significant milestones to arrest the Bay system's decline and to begin to restore its health. From the landmark EPA study of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s to the first interstate Chesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983 to Maryland's historic sewage treatment bond bill in 2004 and Virginia's comparable legislative commitment in 2005, CBF has been saving the Bay. Learn more about CBF's programs at cbf.org.

About Queenstown Harbor

Developed by The Brick Companies, Queenstown Harbor golf facility features 36 holes of championship golf on two unique layouts – The River and The Lakes – in a spectacular Chesapeake Bay waterfront location. In 2008, Queenstown Harbor achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by Audubon International. To achieve this certification, The Brick Companies implemented environmental practices that include maintaining wide buffers of no-mow zones around ponds and streams, capturing rainwater for irrigation, restricting golfers from entering sensitive areas, using fertilizer manufactured from chicken manure and participating in a ride-sharing program for employees. Equipment is cleaned at a central "wash down station" where water is captured and recycled, and beverages are served in corn-based biodegradable cups. For more information, please visit mdgolf.com.

SOURCE Akridge