Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.01
Liaison Rebecca Walker
Submission Date April 13, 2022

STARS v2.2

Southern Oregon University
IN-20: Grounds Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Rebecca Walker
Sustainability Manager
Facilities, Management, Sustainability and Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
Yes or No
ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation ---
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) No
Bee Campus USA Yes
Demeter Biodynamic ---
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard No
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List Standard ---
National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program Yes
An Organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) endorsed by IFOAM No
Salmon-Safe No
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) No
Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) Yes
An equivalent program approved by AASHE No

A brief description of the institution’s third party certified land holdings:

SOU’s Ashland Campus is settled in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountain range and our region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature labeled it as an Area of Global Botanical Significance.

Southern Oregon University is also a designated Tree Campus USA. In 2014, SOU was accredited with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA award for our work promoting our community forest on campus. The SOU Tree Advisory Council oversees the protection of the trees on campus through the use of the SOU Campus Tree Care Plan. The campus also now features more than 100 different species of trees on campus to educate the community about the enormous value trees bring to our lives and to the ecosystems we live in.

Southern Oregon University collaborated with Bee City USA, a private nonprofit organization based in Asheville, North Carolina, to establish the Bee Campus USA designation. Through a six-month process, the university was able to align its practices to meet the new guidelines. In April 2015, Bee City USA recognized Southern Oregon University as the nation’s first Bee Campus USA designee. We have planted five pesticide-free pollinator gardens on campus so far and continue to incorporate native, pollinator-friendly plant species across campus.

SOU's Bee Campus USA Subcommittee continues to work on expanding pollinator habitat on campus, offers education and interactive workshops, and applies to renew SOU's Bee Campus USA on an annual basis. SOU Landscape also stopped the use of all neonicotinoids on campus in an effort to help protect bees and other pollinators. SOU Landscape has made a pledge with Friends with the Earth Bee Cause Campaign, and Landscape Services only uses approved pesticides and herbicides, which are applied by State-licensed public pesticide applicators.


Documentation affirming the certification(s):
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Website URL where information affirming the certification(s) is available:
http://landscape.sou.edu/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.