Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.29
Liaison Jonna Korpi
Submission Date Sept. 11, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Minnesota, Duluth
IN-47: Innovation A

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Jonna Korpi
Sustainability Director
UMD Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Sustainable Commencement Flowers

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:

It is common practice to spend thousands of dollars on cut flowers for commencement ceremonies which will end up as waste. UMD takes a different approach, which results in a $0 dollar flower budget for commencement.

Through a partnership with the Commencement Coordinator, Nancy Burley, and the UMD Grounds Crew, a variety of annuals are ordered and grown in a greenhouse by a local vendor during the winter/spring. The flowers are transplanted to display boxes that are placed on the stage during commencement and after the ceremony, the flowers return to campus to be planted out in decorative planters to beautify campus all summer long.

The cost is covered by the campus landscaping budget (an expense they plan for anyway) and the flowers are enjoyed for months afterwards by all campus visitors.


Optional Fields

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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None
The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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