A friend that I made abroad shared this link today about her college. Similar size to Lafayette and fully embracing wind power in campus- I think it is so inspiring. Their transition to renewables has them “avoiding 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, or the equivalent of taking more than 1,300 cars off the road yearly”.
So awesome.
http://strib.mn/2gaV63B
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/id/id-412-w.pdf
This article was put out by The Perdue Extension and is the main source for our rationale to changing salting practices!
don’t think the school would want this is the landscaping policy but I just thought I would share it because its a cool idea/ piece of technology!
https://edyn.com/
http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/research/agmech_eng/RR773.pdf
Using this source for info on rationale behind drop irrigation.
Potentially need to find one that talks about benefits for rain sensor sprinklers?
(still unsure how much research we need dot include in this policy…)
Do we need to find one that talks overall about why its good to reduce water use to include in our overall rationale of the irrigation section of the policy? Or can we assume it is it general knowledge that its economically and ecologically better to use less water…
Dealing w/ Pests:
Many college’s have a Integrated Pest Management Systems.
Oberlin College: “the plant is treated by correcting water deficiencies, lowering root temperatures or by mulching or pruning diseased branches. The area is examined for beneficial insects that could control the target pest. When cultural practices are in place to the best degree our resources will permit, the plant’s value is evaluated. If the plant can be replaced by a resistant variety, it is removed and replaced. Plants that are valuable are monitored. The pest is left unmolested until the injury exceeds the economic damage threshold. Past the economic damage threshold the infestation is judged to be an imminent threat to a college asset. At this point chemical controls are used.”
https://new.oberlin.edu/office/environmental-sustainability/progress/grounds.dot
Harvard:
“Aerating to reduce plant stress
Monitoring moisture because inadequate moisture levels can weaken plants and make them susceptible to pest problems.
Applying compost teas to suppress powdery mildew.
Introducing and cultivating beneficial insects which prey on destructive insects.
Manually removing infected tree and shrub branches.
Manually removing weeds.”
http://www.energyandfacilities.harvard.edu/facilities-services/landscape-maintenance/organic-maintenance-program
Seattle University:
-Use home brewed compost tea sprayed ( introduces beneficial communities of fungi, bacteria, and microscopic arthropods)
-grounds team works on maintaining the overall health of turf and fields by aeration, fertilization and watering
-control weeds before they go to seed
-coarse woodchip mulches to control weed germination in beds and gardens, and
planting dense groundcovers
http://www.paladinoandco.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pesticide-FreeCampuses.pdf
These campuses all provide alternatives and guidelines to our pesticide problem. We need to decide whether we want to lay our guidelines for IPM and just have reduced pesticide use or go full out and attempt to look more like Seattle University.
Also other great resource links and putting them here for safe keeping: http://sustainability.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/SustainableTurfCare.pdf
http://vsa.vassar.edu/orgs/vassargreens/2013/05/22/vassar-agrees-to-stop-spraying-toxic-24-d-pesticide/
Drip irrigation: thought it might be best for little patches of plantings that get high pressure sprinklers that often miss the plants and spoil. Drip irrigation will reduce water loss, reduce maintenance, and reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching. However I ma not sure if drip is best for large agricultural uses or if it is applicable for smaller spaces. I will look into it further! http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/horticulture/horticultural-production-options/drip-irrigation-for-vegetable-production
Rain sensor!! Seems like a simple fix but when I researched options I got mostly links of places to buy them rather than the importance of them and logistics. Will do more research!
I also found this plant on my walk past Farinon! Looked it up and of course it is native to tropical and subtropical Americas, Africa and Asia and are considered to be weeds in their native habitat… It was advertised on many websites as “great for patios” and “will give your garden a pop of color and texture!” I’m assuming it was planted for homecoming because it does look maroon in color and I found it on the Thursday before Homecoming weekend? We definitely need to be considering not just natives but what will aesthetically look good and please those needs of the color
