Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.49
Liaison Richard Johnson
Submission Date Nov. 11, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Rice University
OP-10: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 2.00

Criteria

Institution’s grounds include areas that are managed at one or more of the following levels: 

1) Managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan 

2) Managed in accordance with a sustainable landscape management program 

And/or 

3) Organic, certified and/or protected 

The level at which an area of grounds is managed may be determined as outlined in the table below:

Management Level Standards and/or Certifications Required
1) IPM Plan IPM plan calls for:
  • Using least-toxic chemical pesticides,
  • Minimum use of chemicals, and
  • Use of chemicals only in targeted locations and only for targeted species
2) Sustainable Landscape Management Program The program includes formally adopted guidelines, policies and/or practices that cover all of the following:
  • Integrated pest management (see above)
  • Plant stewardship - protecting and using existing vegetation (e.g. through the use of a tree care plan), using native and ecologically appropriate plants, and controlling and managing invasive species
  • Soil stewardship - organic soils management practices that restore and/or maintain a natural nutrient cycle and limit the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals
  • Use of environmentally preferable materials - utilizing reused, recycled and local and sustainably produced landscape materials
  • Hydrology and water use - restoring and/or maintaining the integrity of the natural hydrology by promoting water infiltration, minimizing or eliminating the use of potable water for irrigation, and protecting/restoring riparian, wetland, and shoreline habitats and lost streams
  • Materials management and waste minimization - composting and/or mulching waste from groundskeeping, including grass trimmings
  • Snow and ice management (if applicable) - implementing technologies or strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of snow and ice removal
3) Organic, Certified and/or Protected

Protected areas and land that is:

  • Maintained 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
  • Certified Organic
  • Certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard
  • Certified under the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) and/or
  • Managed specifically for carbon sequestration (as documented in policies, land management plans or the equivalent)

Land that meets multiple criteria should not be double-counted. An area of grounds that does not meet the standards specified for a particular management level should be reported at the next appropriate level for which it does meet the standards. For example, a landscape management program that includes an IPM plan and meets some, but not all, of the other standards listed for a sustainable landscape management plan should be reported at level 1 (IPM Plan). 

Applicability

This credit applies to all institutions with managed grounds comprising one or more percent of the total area of the campus. 

Scoring

Institutions earn the maximum of 2 points available for this credit when 100 percent of campus grounds are managed organically, third party certified and/or formally protected. Incremental points are available based on the percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM plan, managed in accordance with a sustainable landscape management program and/or organic/certified/protected. 

Scoring for this credit is based on the total area of grounds (total campus area minus the footprint of the institution’s buildings and the area of any undeveloped land). 

See scoring table and example in STARS Technical Manual.

Measurement

Timeframe

Report on current program(s) and practices. 

Sampling and Data Standards

An institution may exclude experimental agricultural land, provided it is excluded from both the total campus area and the area of grounds managed sustainably. 

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.