Amherst College
OP-4: Ecologically Managed Grounds

4.1 Organic landscaping/grounds services

An institution earns 2 points when its landscaping/grounds services have eliminated their use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides (only materials approved for organic use are used). Partial points are available and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report on the current status of the institution’s programs and initiatives and inventories completed or updated within the previous year. 

Areas that are not routinely maintained or are predominantly maintained by entities other than the institution’s in-house and/or contracted landscaping/grounds services are excluded (e.g., natural/semi-natural areas and agricultural land).

Consistent with the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care, an organic management program may allow rescue treatments using non-organic pesticides to control insect and disease problems that can cause significant harm, provided there are no effective organic alternatives. The procedure for making such a decision must be documented in the institution’s organic IPM plan/protocol or equivalent.

4.2 Ratio of ecologically managed green space to total managed green space

An institution earns 3 points when the weighted area protected or restored or otherwise managed ecologically is equal to or greater than the total area of managed campus green space. Incremental points are available and earned as outlined in the Technical Manual.

Measurement

Report on the current status of the institution’s grounds. Include the total area of green space actively managed within the institution’s STARS reporting boundary, e.g., by the institution’s in-house and/or contracted landscaping/grounds service. Vegetated roof surfaces may be included, at the institution’s discretion, as long as they are included consistently.

An area may be reported for each attribute that applies to it. For example, a park that is managed organically and overlaid with tree canopy earns points for both attributes.

To qualify as a protected area, the geographical space must be recognized, dedicated, and managed, through legal or other effective means (which may include policies, protocols, and/or plans), to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. 

To qualify as a restored area, the geographical space must have been subject to intentional activities to initiate or accelerate the recovery of the ecosystem from a degraded state, for example, by allowing the natural regeneration of an overexploited ecosystem or by planting native or adapted vegetation. 

To complete this indicator, an institution may use i-Tree Tools or an equivalent resource to define and measure the area of green space actively managed by the institution and, within that area, measure the areas that have each of the attributes listed in Table II in the Technical Manual. For further guidance, see the STARS Help Center.

Applicable to institutions with grounds comprising at least one percent of the total campus area.