Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.01
Liaison Kelsey Beal
Submission Date March 2, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Indiana University Bloomington
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.89 / 2.00 Mike Girvin
Campus Division Manager
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
1,937 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 863.36 Acres
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 1,073.64 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 1,937 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):

We did not exclude buildings, sidewalks, roads, etc., for all of core campus because we don’t have that exact data for all of core campus.


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:
44.57

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:

870.25 acres of campus is directly managed by Landscape Services; this acreage does not include building footprints, roads, sidewalks, parking garages and parking lots and the adjacent campus golf course are not included in this total. Other green space (out of 1937 total) are managed by Athletics and other campus entities and we are not able to address how they are managed (with respect to organic, etc), so we have categorized all that acreage as “conventional.”

Of the 870.25 acres where we can speak to organic standards, 681.75 acres are managed as organic, meaning the use of fertilizer and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides are not used.

Again, all acreage within the 870.25 managed by Landscape Services, excluding the bulleted acreage above, is managed in keeping with organic standards.

IU's Organic Landscape Program is led by the IU Office of Sustainability’s Land Use and Environmental Quality working group, which consists of students, faculty, and staff operations that are interested in responsible stewardship of the campus landscape. The group is co-chaired by IU's Landscape Manager. The guiding documents for the Environmental Quality and Land Use Working Group and Landscape Services can be found here: http://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Working%20Groups/enviromental-quality/programs-resources.php

Also included in the 1,937 acres that makes up the core campus footprint is “Griffy Woods,” a 185 acre parcel that is managed as part of the IU Research and Teaching Preserve. The mission of the Preserve is to “provide natural field settings for research and teaching that complement existing facilities and infrastructure at Indiana University.” http://www.indiana.edu/~preserve/index.shtml . In keeping with the mission, organic management and maintaining the ecological health/integrity is paramount to the Preserve’s success. We have added 181.61 acres (out of 185) of Griffy Woods to the 681.75 acres managed organically by Landscape Services, bringing our total organically managed land within the campus footprint to 863.36 acres.


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

We have incorporated more native tree, shrub, and plant species in our overall planting pallet. Control of invasive plants is done with staff and volunteers. Methods include hand culling of invasive plants and trees and controlled burning. We are utilizing natives to ensure biodiversity on campus. We also utilize native plants in rain garden areas and wetland areas to improve water quality and slow stream erosion on the Jordan River.


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

Wetland areas are closely monitored and maintained. Drainage areas are protected from run off during construction projects. Storm drains are protected with sediment bags to prevent sediment loading of waterways.


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

Our mowers are equipped with mulching blades. Leaves and organic debris are composted at our nursery and then re-utilized on campus. All organic materials are either composted or chipped and re-utilized for campus projects. Some tree waste is re-processed and utilized by outside vendors.


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

Campus Division (steward of the IUB landscape) has reduced irrigation on the campus interior, reduced mowing on the campus perimeter, and have begun to implement storm water management best practices in all new construction, and are beginning to introduce rain gardens. Organic waste has long been composted, but changes are being made to further utilize compost in the planting of campus landscape beds.


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):

IUB quit utilizing sand several years ago because of sediment loading in waterways. We are still looking at environmentally friendly ice melters. We are now utilizing salt brine technology on campus which is reducing our salt use by approximately 25%. IUB has not yet found a cost efficient replacement for salt, but it is used more carefully than in the past.


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:

The Campus Garden is 0.2 acres, and the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center is approximately 4 acres. Both gardens are maintained organically. Two 10-acre urban woodlands sites are maintained by a team of students, faculty, and professionals who work to remove invasive species and reintegrate native species. These sites serve as a model for the importance of urban green space and the services provided by woodland environments.


The Campus Garden is 0.2 acres, and the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center is approximately 4 acres. Both gardens are maintained organically. Two 10-acre urban woodlands sites are maintained by a team of students, faculty, and professionals who work to remove invasive species and reintegrate native species. These sites serve as a model for the importance of urban green space and the services provided by woodland environments.

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.