Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.42
Liaison Jen Jones
Submission Date Feb. 18, 2020

STARS v2.2

College of Charleston
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.63 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area:
960 Acres

Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
Area (double-counting is not allowed)
Area managed organically, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides 3.50 Acres
Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed 0 Acres
Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices 0.80 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 4.30 Acres

A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds:

Land excluded from the area of managed grounds reported above includes satellite campus land associated with our North Campus in North Charleston, the Grice Marine Laboratory in James Island, Harborwalk (home to Computer Sciences) on the Charleston Harbor and administrative buildings located on Lockwood Boulevard on the Charleston peninsula. This land encompasses footprints of buildings and impervious surfaces and are not regularly managed or maintained.


Percentage of grounds managed organically:
81.40

A brief description of the organic landscape management program:

Students and staff who work to cultivate and manage the Student Garden at Stono Preserve use a style known as market gardening. All techniques are organic and conducted with the help of large-scale agriculture equipment.

Additionally, organic supplements used to maintain the grounds on our Main Campus include: 9-0-0 corn gluten, limestone, milorganite, gypsum, sulfur, fish and seaweed.


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

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:

The College's Grounds department collects and diverts all yard waste on campus. The collected yard waste is picked up by Charleston County and taken to the Bees Ferry composting facility. Bees Ferry processes 100 percent of the yard waste accepted at the facility and generates compost, which is available for purchase by Charleston farmers and residents.


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

The College actively uses shade trees to aid in the reduction of the heat island effect. Three projects highlight this use: Rivers Green, an outdoor space directly adjacent to Addlestone Library; the new School of Science and Math building; and, a new dining location called Marty's Place. All projects have strategically incorporated shade trees in landscaping plans to help keep these key campus locations cooler.


A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:

The College uses organic supplements throughout the Main Campus. These supplements include: corn gluten, limestone, fish and seaweed fertilizers. In addition, all of the College's landscaping beds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and action plans are adopted for each unique bed. The College has also released lady beetles, praying mantis and lacewings to control insect populations, rather than use chemical alternatives.


Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.