Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.39
Liaison Laura Draucker
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Amherst College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 2.00 Laura Draucker
Director of Sustainability
Office of Environmental Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
412.78 Hectares

Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
Area (double-counting is not allowed)
Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses a four-tiered approach 50 Hectares
Area managed in accordance with an organic land care standard or sustainable landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials 0 Hectares
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 0 Hectares
Total area of managed grounds 50 Hectares

A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds (e.g. the footprint of buildings and impervious surfaces, experimental agricultural land, areas that are not regularly managed or maintained):

Hayed fields, Book & Plow farm and other agricultural land rented to farmers, sanctuary lands, buildings, woodlands, rental housing properties, roadways, sidewalks.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
100

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
0

A brief description of the organic land standard or landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:

We take care of all plants based on best practices. We prune/remove as necessary but do everything we can (outside of pesticides) to keep all plants alive.


A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:

Wilt-based irrigation on athletic fields only, some minor irrigation elsewhere, and a campus-wide minimalist approach.


A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):

In-house mulch, topsoil, and leaf composting


A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:

The college uses shade trees to reduce energy use in buildings. Additionally, the college is undergoing a renovation project that will incorporate low maintenance grounds into the campus.


A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution (e.g. use of environmentally preferable landscaping materials, initiatives to reduce the impacts of ice and snow removal, wildfire prevention):

New plantings are more native, we are adding rain gardens and more pollinator attracting plants


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.