Indiana University Bloomington
OP-9: Landscape Management

We excluded all impervious surface from the total area of managed grounds. This includes: building footprints, curbs, sidewalks, parking lots, and roads, which in total equaled 349.09 acres. Subtracted from the total campus acreage of 1937.0, the total managed grounds is 1587.91.

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. 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.” . 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. 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There is a data report discrepancy between this category and IC-2 because we excluded all impervious surface from the total area of managed grounds. This includes: building footprints, curbs, sidewalks, parking lots, and roads, which in total equaled 349.09 acres. Subtracted from the total campus acreage of 1937.0 reported in IC-2, the total managed grounds is 1587.91. 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.