Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.17
Liaison Jamey Pavey
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Earlham College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.58 / 2.00 Ian Smith
Director of Facilities
Maintenance
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
179 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 0 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 52 Acres
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 127 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 179 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):
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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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Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
29.05

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:

Approx. 2 acres is managed as an organic garden, with only natural fertilizers. Approx. 20 acres is horse pasture that is only mowed (fertilized through horse manure). Approx. 25 acres is wooded and managed without fertilizers or pesticides. Invasive species (honeysuckle, especially) are managed by hand pulling.


A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:

Our policy is to choose the plants that will adapt better to the local conditions, we do prioritize native species, especially the drought tolerant ones. We choose mainly perennial plants, being careful to choose the best place to place each species. We also choose butterfly and bird friendly plants, in order to promote a more harmonious relationship with the local fauna.


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

Earlham has a rain garden attached to the Athletics and Wellness Center to reduce stormwater runoff. Irrigation is only on athletic fields


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

When possible, leaves are mulched on site. When needed, leaves and other grounds keeping waste are informally composted in the forested area behind the campus ("backcampus"). We dump our used potting soil back there as well; but, we often do reuse it.
Larger limbs are collected as yard waste by Best Way and utilized as cover in a landfill.
When cycling out plantings of annuals, the plants are offered to the campus community before disposal.


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

The College has a large rain garden off the Athletic and Wellness Center. It also uses native plants where possible.


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):

Physical removal of snow is utilized first, and then spread a little bit of salt. We try to use the least amount of salt possible in an effort to be less aggressive to the environment.
The ice melt product we use on sidewalks, Avalanch, claims to be "Less damaging to the environment when compared to the leading ice melt brands."


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.