Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 62.51
Liaison Matthew Williams
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

University of Florida
Tier2-1: Native Plants

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Stephanie Sims
Implementation Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution prioritize the use of native plant species in landscaping?:
Yes

A brief description of the native plant program, policy, or practice:

The university works to use native plants wherever possible, as they require less care, water and fertilizer and promote the "commitment to future generations".

PPD Landscaping/Groundskeeping Superintendent Marty Werts said, "We're very committed to reducing our water usage in landscape design at Grounds. I would estimate that 80% of the landscape projects we implement are xeriscaped, and more than half of those designs incorporate primarily native plants." Native plants offer unique advantages, according to Werts. "We can greatly reduce the labor time involved in caring for landscaped areas using natives," he explains. "They're much more hardy because they're used to the climate and the soil - we don't have to amend the soil prior to planting. Also, they're very efficient when it comes to watering - most native plants can get by with just rainwater and don't have to be irrigated constantly."


The website URL where information about the program, policy, or practice is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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