| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.78 |
| Liaison | Jessica Bowen |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Aquinas College
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.22 / 2.00 |
Jessica
Eimer Bowen Director of Sustainability Center for Sustainability |
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
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 | 5 Acres |
| 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 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 18 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 23 Acres |
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):
The footprint of all buildings and impervious surfaces are excluded from managed grounds. The area of managed grounds listed above includes only permeable surfaces.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
The Grounds Dept. follows IPM procedures in maintaining the campus landscape. By doing so, pesticide use on campus is reduced. Strategies utilized include: Naturalized landscape design, site selection and preparation, the use of hearty, disease and pest resistant varieties, and proper frequencies of watering, pruning, mowing and mulching. When controlling pests or diseases IPM techniques take an ecological approach to vegetation and pest management with an emphasis on the reduction of pesticide use and the implementation and monitoring for early detection of invasive species.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
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:
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
Plants are picked and planted to be pest hardy and salt tolerant, which helps reduce pesticide use. Many varieties of native plants are used in landscaping, and the campus provides a home to many of the tree species native to Michigan.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
We use an adjacent lake (Fisk Lake) to irrigate turf grass and landscape at one edge of campus (Brookby Estate). Most of our campus consists of permeable surfaces, allowing rain water to naturally infiltrate the grounds.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
The Aquinas Grounds Department reuses/composts excess dirt generated during construction projects. In addition, we compost all leaves and grass clippings.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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):
Environmental impacts are addressed in multiple ways. Grounds equipment is used to de-ice the five miles of sidewalk and seasonal closings of some steps and side walks. This equates to a reduction of required salt, equipment fuel, and savings in lawn damage repairs. A deicer with beet juice is used on campus as well, reducing the amount of traditional salt-based deicers.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.