SGA Sustainability Committee

Sustainability Grant passes!

The project proposal entitled "Modeling Organic Landscape Practices on Campus Lawns" was approved for its full amount of $4,228.18. It designates a highly visible part of the University of Maryland campus to display a comparison of landscape treatments. The area will be divided into a control plot receiving standard campus grounds treatment, a plot receiving the organic treatment currently used on the Clarice’s greens, and lastly, a plot testing our new, synthetic-free, organic treatment plan. The experiment will begin with its first treatment in late August and will be continually managed by Student Sustainability Committee members and other volunteers throughout the following year.

      By comparing an existing organic management plan to a more cost-effective one designed by students, we will investigate the feasibility of increasing the portion of organic practices for turf that compose our current landscaping practices and integrated pest management plan. Our project ultimately seeks a financially feasible and environmentally responsible model for landscape treatment that is supported by the student body and administration.

Resolution passes in SGA!

Information on what pesticides and herbicides are applied on campus lawns should be publicly disclosed, accessible, and convenient to navigate. Information availability about landscape practices should not be limited to just those persons with respiratory or chemical sensitivities. Records of each pesticide application are kept manually, and sent in to the MD Department of Agriculture  within 24 hours. The SSC, backed by the SGA, seeks to work with the several departments responsible for pesticide use at UMD to create an online database that anyone can access easily to learn more about the chemicals used on our lawns and fields. Read more about our bill in this DBK article!