Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.60
Liaison Mary Lucus
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Belmont University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.13 / 2.00 Mary Lucus
Director, IR
Provost
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

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 10 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) 65 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 75 Acres

If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:

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):
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program 

Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
13.33

If reporting an IPM program, provide:

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
• Pests are managed by daily observation of plant material prone to insects or if the plant looks distressed • There are certain seasons of the year, which we check and/or treat specific plant material for possible insect infestation. • We practice cultural measures if we have not crossed the threshold. • We utilize natural, organic chemicals if possible, otherwise we use synthetic chemicals. • We work with beneficial insects when possible. Belmont actively monitors plant material and deals with issues as they occur. We practice cultural prevention and control prior to chemical usage. We follow up with applications when the life cycle of insects or disease warrants intervention. It is our intent to treat only in environmentally safe conditions.

Organic Program

Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
0

If reporting an organic program, provide:

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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Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
Native plant materials are being incorporated in new construction projects and in areas where plant beds are being modified or, upgraded.

A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Dewatering tanks are in place in underground garages on campus. Water from these tanks is pumped out through the irrigation system at a rate of 20-30,000 gallons per day during watering season, returning the water back to the earth instead of the storm sewer system.

A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
All leaves and spent color beds are composted. We incorporate "cooked" compost into landscape maintenance.

A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
The university is capturing underground water and redirecting it for irrigation. We are also designing green roofs into all new buildings We currently have fourteen green roofs spread across five buildings. We have reclaimed over eight million gallons of water for irrigation in 2018. We have incorporated a weather station and soils monitoring system to reduce irrigation times and only add water when necessary.

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):
Snow removal and ice management is a combination outsourced program and in-house responsibility. Campus streets and parking lots are patrolled by an outsource company using plows, urea and sand. Sidewalks and steps are cleared in-house using urea, CAL-CHLOR, and sand.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.