| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.41 |
| Liaison | Yolanda Cieters |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Seattle University
OP-10: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.50 / 2.00 |
Phillip
Thompson Director CEJS |
Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds::
| Area | |
| Total campus area | 50 Acres |
| Footprint of the institution's buildings | 17 Acres |
| Area of undeveloped land, excluding any protected areas | 0 Acres |
Area of managed grounds that is::
| Area | |
| Managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan | 0 Acres |
| Managed in accordance with a sustainable landscape management program that includes an IPM plan and otherwise meets the criteria outlined | 33 Acres |
| Managed organically, third party certified and/or protected | 0 Acres |
A copy of the IPM plan:
The IPM plan :
See attached Word doc
A brief summary of the institution’s approach to sustainable landscape management:
The shift to sustainable landscape practices began in 1979 with the adoption of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Our IPM program differs from many others in that chemical pesticide applications are not a viable option. Only OMRI rated products are used on the campus grounds. We use a combination of methods that focus on total plant health, particularly at the soil level. Some of the components of our program include:
Weed suppression, not eradication
Compost top-dressing
Wood chip mulch
Centralized control of irrigation and monitored water use
Responsible Plant Selection
Beneficial Insect Release
Nutrient cycling
Compost Tea application
Encouraging Beneficial Insect and Bird Populations
For more details on SU's Sustainable Management Plan: see the attached Word doc.
A brief description of how the institution protects and uses existing vegetation, uses native and ecologically appropriate plants, and controls and manages invasive species:
See SU Sustainable Landscape Managment Plan (attached Word doc).
Native, drought-tolerant, and edible plants are our campus standard.
A brief description of the institution’s landscape materials management and waste minimization policies and practices:
All grounds waste is put in either our on-site compost facility or hauled to a compost facility.
See also SU Sustainable Landscape Management Plan (attached Word doc) under "Landscape Waste Diversion Policy":
Landscape waste shall be diverted from the waste stream in several ways. Turf will be mowed with mulching mowers. Grass clippings will be left to decompose on the turf. Woody debris will be chipped and composted on site. During months when excessively large quantities of landscape debris are created, debris shall be picked up by Cedar Grove Compost’s organic waste composting operation.
A brief description of the institution’s organic soils management practices:
See SU Sustainable Landscape Management Plan (attached Word doc) under "Nutrient cycling":
The nutrients in fallen leaves will be recycled by mowing leaves where they fall on lawns and then returning them to the landscape beds A thin layer of wood chips will then be added to hold them in place. Where this is not possible, leaves will be collected for use as a carbon source in the compost operation
A brief description of the institution’s use of environmentally preferable materials in landscaping and grounds management:
See SU Sustainable Landscape Management Plan (attached Word doc):
Wood chip mulch. Branches from pruning and tree removals will be chipped on site. A three to four inch layer of wood chips will be used to suppress most emerging weed seeds. The “soil to wood chip interface,” where many dormant weed seeds potentially reside, is depleted of available nitrogen during the breakdown of the high carbon content of the wood chips, further helping to suppress weeds.
Sheet mulching. The goal of sheet mulching is to provide additional, temporary weed suppression when renovating or planting a landscape. This method will be used where appropriate in the landscape. A layer of cardboard or several layers of wet newspaper will be put on top of bare soil or scalped turf prior to planting. Then a layer of three to four inches of wood chips will be placed on top of the cardboard/newspaper. Wood chip mulch will be added as needed on an annual basis, taking care to keep the mulch well away from the trunk flair of trees and the crown of shrubs and perennials.
Habitat development. Areas of campus will be developed to provide food, nectar, and nesting sites for beneficial insects and birds. Native plants will be chosen where possible in these sites. A source of water and refugia for cover will be provided. Beneficial insects and birds are an important part of the Conservation Biological Control plan.
Nutrient cycling. The nutrients in fallen leaves will be recycled by mowing leaves where they fall on lawns and then returning them to the landscape beds A thin layer of wood chips will then be added to hold them in place. Where this is not possible, leaves will be collected for use as a carbon source in the compost operation.
Turf mix. A sustainable lawn care program will use a custom mix of grasses adapted to thrive in the local climate, typically New Zealand white clover and tall fescue grass, and then top seeded with perennial rye. The nitrogen fixing clover reduces the need for fertilizer, is wear resistant and drought tolerant. This model will be used when renovating a lawn on campus.
Grasscycling. Grass clippings will be left on the lawn to decompose, which adds organic matter to the soil and increases water holding capacity.
A brief description of how the institution restores and/or maintains the integrity of the natural hydrology of the campus:
See our Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (in attached Word doc) including the following practices:
• Creation of a “Surface Water Pollution Prevention Plan” which shall be reviewed and approved by the
City of Seattle prior to acquiring the Clearing and Grading permit.
• The contractor shall have on staff a Certified Erosion and Sedimentation Control Lead who shall be on site or on call at all times and who shall perform regular site inspections and write an inspection report or checklist which shall be attached to the site log book.
• Site turbidity and pH monitoring shall be conducted as outlined in the NPDES permit
• Silt Control Measures which include filter fabric fencing, diversion swales and berms, straw bale check dams, mulch, and polyethylene sheeting cover for exposed soil
• Temporary Storm Water Runoff Control
• Measures to keep streets clean shall include wheel cleaning stations at site exits and measures to clean campus and public streets if they become fouled
• Slope erosion control measures
• Protection of drain inlets
• Control of pollutants to include vandalism protection, covering of chemicals and liquids, maintenance of equipment and vehicles to prevent spills, application of fertilizers and pesticides
• Control of de-watering water
The McGoldrick Learning Commons rain garden:
Grates in the hard surface direct water into the rain garden. The lower rain garden is about 2,100 sq ft and has a volume of about 20,000 gallons of freeboard (not including the capacity of the soil). A 10,000 gallon cistern fills, filters, and holds water from the Commons addition roof before releasing it into the lower rain garden.
The rain gardens can handle approximately 1.7” of water over the entire site in a 24 hour period of time without overflowing any water into the city storm drains. This is approximately 100,000 gallons of water managed on site for any given storm event. The system was designed to handle a 25 year storm event.
The “water wall” feature uses 100% rain water. The cistern behind the wall is about 2,500 gallons with a cartridge filter and an ultraviolet light for water purification. The granite face used for the water wall is repurposed from the old lobby of the Lemieux Library building.
The original building discharges water into two rain gardens on either side of the west entrance.
The west side rain gardens are lined because of historic issues with water intrusion into the library basement. This is a closed system, running from south to north into a HDP-lined swale with a 3ft deep soil/gravel mix.
Total volume of the all rain gardens and swales (west side swales, north side swale, cistern, and lower rain gardens) is about 25,000 gallons.
The library addition roof is approximately 11,000 sq ft, the original library roof is about 18,000sq ft, so the annual run-off for these two structures is approximately 678,600 gallons.
A little over two million gallons of water falls on the site in an average year.
The project site was a little more than two acres.
Lee Miley Rain Garden:
The rain garden between the Lynn building and the Chapel was completed in November 2007 as a solution to winter rains flooding the basements of Lynn, Hunthausen, Xavier and the Chapel buildings. A rain garden is an excavated depression planted to look like a garden. Stormwater infiltrates through layers of soil and gravel as plants transpire moisture and help filter pollutants. Surface area equaling 17,740 sq. ft drains into this rain garden. The rain garden is ten feet deep, lined with a special fabric and perforated drainage system, and filled with a bio-retention mix designed to absorb and retain as much water as possible. Two trenches along the Lynn building west wall route water away from the building. One trench fills the rain garden and the other trench diverts the water from the building's foundation to the City's combined sewer overflow system. As the garden reaches capacity, excess water flows into the City's combined sewer overflow system.
A brief description of how the institution reduces the environmental impacts of snow and ice removal (if applicable):
Snow and ice melt is applied ahead of an event whenever possible to help minimize the amount of product applied. Product is chosen for minimal impact to the environment but also for maximum effect on melting snow and ice for campus safety.
A brief description of any certified and/or protected areas:
In 1989, the Seattle University grounds were designated a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Dept. This was the first designation for an institution in the State of Washington. Since then, the Grounds Dept. has been committed to providing habitat and encouraging biodiversity throughout the gardens, and in habitat-designed gardens in particular
Is the institution recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA program (if applicable)?:
The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management programs and practices is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.