Grounds

748 resources

Reclaiming Urbanity with Permaculture: The First Years of a Food Forest

  • Portland State University (OR)

Food forests use sustainable methods to garden within a closed-loop system. PSU students started a community orchard in 2011 with a plot of vacant land, 21 fruit tree varieties and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Multiple Methods Approach to Exploring Conservation Decision Making on the Farm: From Theory to Application

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
  • University of Minnesota System Office (MN)

Balancing agricultural production and water resource protection is a major challenge across the U.S. In Minnesota, where both water and agriculture are fundamental to the state's heritage, modern ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Open-Ended Cases for Improving Farm Sustainability

  • Dordt College (IA)
  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

The method of open-ended cases is an ideal format for students when they are analyzing the sustainability of a farm. Students learn about several of methods used for analyzing an ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Pioneering International Sustainability Education: A SMART Perspective

  • SMART Eco Park India
  • Broadway Green Alliance (NY)

This presentation will focus on the educational elements of SMART Eco-park, a 20 acre edu-tainment space near Mumbai, India. The park was founded with the goal of equipping future generations ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Agriculture Networking Meeting: Identifying the Future of Campus Grown Food

  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Ursinus College (PA)

Campus agriculture initiatives are rapidly becoming a ubiquitous part of campus life around the country. In the last fifteen years agricultural education, in the form of campus gardens and farms ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zanmi Kafe: Using on-farm research to facilitate the adoption and management of more sustainable coffee-based agroecosystems in Haiti's Central Plateau

  • Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)

Zanmi Kafe is a collaboration between Sewanee: The University of the South, and Zanmi Agrikol, a Haitian non-profit agricultural organization that aims to promote the adoption of more sustainable agroecosystems ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zanmi Kafe: Using payments for carbon sequestration to promote climate action on Sewanee's campus, and more sustainable agroecosystems on Haiti's Central Plateau

  • Sewanee - The University of the South (TN)

Zanmi Kafe is a collaboration between Sewanee: The University of the South, and Zanmi Agrikol, a Haitian non-profit agricultural organization that promotes the adoption of more sustainable agroecosystems in the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Sustainable Agriculture Project at Univ of MN Duluth: A Site-Based Land Lab for Sustainability

  • University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)

This proposal presents multiple perspectives on the creation and use of the Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP). Founded in 2009, the SAP Farm is a site based laboratory for sustainability with ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The effect of Infiltration basins and raingardens to clean snowmelt: An integrative learning project in sustainability

  • Concordia College (NY)

Infiltration basins and raingardens have growing popularity for their effectiveness as well as being aesthetically pleasing. In 2012, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN put in an infiltration basin in an ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Growing With Faith: Community Gardening in a Jesuit Context

  • Gonzaga University (WA)

Under the umbrella of our Jesuit university's mission, which encourages a faith that does justice and service, we have engaged in new sustainability initiatives. One of these is the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Management of an Urban White Oak Savanna: Blending Indigenous Permaculture with City Life

  • Portland State University (OR)

White Oak Savannas are among the most endangered ecological communities in the Pacific Northwest. Historically, annual burnings of these sprawling grasslands inhibited encroaching forests to allow for plentiful hunting, gathering ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Interactive Tree Map of SUNY Geneseo

  • State University of New York at Geneseo (NY)

Our project is an interactive map of the trees on the SUNY Geneseo campus, created utilizing GIS technology. It would act as an interactive digital field guide that would emphasize ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Sustainable Gardening Library

  • Sustainable Gardening Institute (NJ)

The Sustainable Gardening Library is a single, centralized, easy-to-use repository for science-based, authoritative information on sustainable gardening and biodynamic agriculture that is accessed via a state-of-the-art, web-based mapping portal. Right ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Natural Fertilizer Initiative: A solar-powered, rainwater-fueled vermiculture and tea brewing system!

  • University of Alabama in Huntsville (AL)

This was a student-led Green Fund project aimed at replacing all commercial fertilizers used on campus with compost tea. Students across multiple departments worked alongside university researchers, student organizations, the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Caloric Output of Global Agriculture 1961-2012

  • University of Arkansas (AR)

It is conventionally suggested that world food production must double to feed world population by mid-century. To evaluate this claim, an inventory of global agricultural production from 1961 to 2012 ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Seed Diversity and Locality: Using seed libraries to explore the importance of regional crop diversity in the past and future

  • University of South Dakota (SD)

Since the Green Revolution, modern agriculture has shifted from a local to a more global industry. In order to provide food for the growing population, monocultures, or large swaths of ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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GIS Field Collection to Support a Tree Inventory for Campus Sustainability

  • University of West Georgia (GA)

To promote sustainability on the University of West Georgia campus a GIS-based field collection application was developed. It is being utilized to collect and maintain characteristics of trees on campus ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Virginia Commonwealth University High-Output Learning Garden: Coordinating Resources and Partnerships to Relieve Food Insecurity

  • Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)

Food deserts are areas with limited access to healthy food options and are a major contributor to health issues and inequality in the United States. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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NEXUS: Demonstration site for biomass greenhouse-heating systems to extend growing seasons for resource-limited farmers.

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

Appalachian farmers struggle to maintain profitability with limited acreage, low profit margins, small markets and short growing seasons. To extend growing seasons, farmers dedicate some of their acreage to greenhouse ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lessons from Germany to the US 2: Water

  • Grinnell College (IA)

Despite the economic and social costs of frequent flooding in Iowa, stormwater handling and agricultural runoff are perennial problems, while in Germany, rainwater infiltration systems are required in most cities ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Farm to Campus Table: Highlighting Local Foods and Student Work in a Campus Harvest Lunch

  • Johnson County Community College (KS)

Beginning in 2013 and continuing in 2014, several dozen students, faculty, staff, and volunteers worked together to source a campus farm lunch at Johnson County Community College, a large, suburban ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Stormwater Runoff Management and Green Infrastructure on Loyola University Chicago

  • Loyola University Chicago (IL)

Stormwater runoff is a major problem all cities face. The Stormwater Runoff Management Project is a student-led project working with campus sustainability staff who's goal is to reduce the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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UKnTrees: Growing urban forestry awareness, outreach, and education

  • University of Kentucky (KY)

Many aspects of sustainability in urban environments, from environmental (stormwater management, climate regulation, urban heat island effects, air pollution removal) to economic (neighborhood and retail desirability, property values) to social ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Design, Installation and Evaluation of Sustainable Concrete Sidewalks on UMD Campus for Research and Learning

  • University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)

Concrete is the most commonly used man-made material on the planet; however, the production of cement, the binder that holds concrete together, is responsible for 5-8% of global anthropogenic CO2 ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Mitakuye oyasin (All My Relations): Manifesting Sustainability through Cultural Understanding

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Culture provides the structure for how we interact with our natural environment. For centuries, proclaiming a religious right to manifest destiny has justified actions that have enabled cultural values which ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cornercopia Student Organic Farm at The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Cornercopia is an organic farm that provides students hands-on whole farm learning opportunities, food for the local community and a place for community building, multi-disciplinary education, research and outreach. Started ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Gibbs Farm: A Permaculture Learning Lab

  • Western Michigan University (MI)

The Gibbs Farm is a 2-acre historic homestead currently undergoing a landscape reimagining to create an engaging environment for students, staff, and the greater community. Students with diverse backgrounds and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Learning Gardens: A Platform for Sustainability Education

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

How can learning gardens be used as a platform to teach sustainability principles? This session will introduce an adaptable framework that uses a three-dimensional living model to clearly communicate the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Gardens in the City: New Paradigms for Urban Community & Campus Gardens

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

While urban community gardens and campus farms are not a new concept, at Carnegie Mellon we are pioneering our own avenues for food production, health and wellness and community engagement ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Should Higher Education Go Carbon Neutral?: A Look at Forest Carbon

  • Clarkson University (NY)

Nearly 700 signatories to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) have voluntarily committed to taking measurable steps towards climate neutrality. For a college or university to achieve ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to Justify the Cost of a Compost Facility for your Campus and/or Community

  • Xavier University (OH)

Appalachian State University began an in-house composting program on campus in 1999, and built a state-of-the-art positive forced aeration facility to expand composting opportunities, which opened in October 2011. This ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Encouraging the Design and Development of High Performance Landscapes with the SITES Rating System

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

As the world’s population grows, so too does the pace of urbanization and development. What is built on the land profoundly impacts ecological systems as well as the health ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cultivating community and sustainability at the Learning Gardens Lab

  • Portland State University (OR)

Learning gardens serve as rich sustainability learning sites due to their ecological and sociocultural benefits, and provide a hands-on way for learners of all ages to engage in interconnected issues ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Composting

  • Southwestern University (TX)

Southwestern University students led a composting initiative in Fall 2011 which has evolved into a campus wide program which has made a significant impact on the community and University. The ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Improving the Efficiency of Land Management Agencies with the use of Sustainability Assessments

  • Black Hills State University (SD)

The ability to assess the sustainability of an organization is becoming increasingly important for organizations across the globe. The tools developed for this task are as diverse as the organizations ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing Space: Community Areas that Engage

  • Evergreen State College, The (WA)

Over the course of the 2013-2014 school year, my department has taken on the remodel of the courtyard in our Freshman dorm area. As the design evolves, there are an ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Incorporating Reuse Water and On-Site Storm Water Management

  • Georgia Southern University (GA)

As a major regional university located in the southeast, this presentation will focus on sustainable techniques used to address both drought and storm water management issues. Be it climate change ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Trinity Tracks

  • Southern Methodist University (TX)

The Great Trinity Forest runs along the Trinity River through downtown Dallas and constitutes one of the largest urban forests in North America. This 6,000 acre swathe of vegetated ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Natural Dye Campus Garden: Art and Permaculture

  • University of North Texas (TX)

Funded by the environmental services fee, the University of North Texas Natural Dye Garden is a student initiated project in the College of Visual Arts and Design. Inspired by a ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Willamette University’s Zena Forest & Farm: Serving Sustainability Plus Broader Institutional Goals

  • Willamette University (OR)

As more liberal arts institutions establish and acquire nearby farms and undeveloped properties for sustainability education and programming, it is of increasing importance to critically examine these decisions and see ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a Permaculture Garden with Community

  • Xavier University (OH)

Building a permaculture garden with community members, students, faculty and local farmers, has been an exhilarating experience. It started with an alumni neighbor asking if she could work on a ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Community Garden Completed its First Successful Harvest

  • University of Alaska Fairbanks (AK)

After their first successful harvest, members of the UAF Campus Community Garden are looking forward to new opportunities next season. After being conceived last spring, gardening enthusiasts constructed a working ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Campuses: Integrating Sustainability into Your Institution

  • Audubon International (NY)

Audubon International (AI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivering high-quality environmental education and using incentive-based approaches to implement sustainable natural resource management in all places people ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Documenting the Evolution of a Student Garden: How LOGIC Grows Campus Sustainability

  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)

This poster examines the evolution of a student organic garden at a large public university, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, as an example of student initiatives that focus on sustainability education ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From the Ground Up: Promoting Sustainable Campus Landscapes

  • Denison University (OH)
  • Moraine Valley Community College (IL)
  • University of Louisville (KY)
  • Arbor Day Foundation (NE)

This panel explores the benefits of sustainable campus landscapes and how to build long-lasting support for them by publicizing your initiatives, educating and engaging others, and earning recognition locally and ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Implementing a Sustainable Post-Consumer Composting Program for a Large Campus Community

  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
  • Aramark (PA)

At most universities food service operations generate a substantial amount of waste.

At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), the university recycling program, UT Recycling, and the Dining Service Company ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Managing Campus Forests to Meet Carbon Neutrality Goals at Colgate University

  • Colgate University (NY)

Deforestation, land use changes and poor land management practices are major contributors to global climate change. Alternatively, sustainable forest management and conservation of open lands must be an important part ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Campus Landscape: Turning Site Problems into Green Infrastructure Solutions

  • South Dakota State University (SD)

In the fall of 2012 our faculty and student design team submitted a plan for the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Rainworks Challenge. Teams were invited to create ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Nanook Grown Garden Supports Sustainability Efforts on Campus

  • University of Alaska Fairbanks (AK)

Growing and eating “Alaskan Grown” has become a priority on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) campus. Facilities Services and the Office of Sustainability planted a vegetable garden outside the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Warren Wilson College Campus Tree Inventory and Carbon Sequestration/Storage Analysis

  • Warren Wilson College (NC)

In a partnership with the North Carolina Forest Service Warren Wilson College Landscaping Crew students and staff conducted an assessment of the vegetation composition, function, and value of the urban ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.

All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.

OP 9: Landscape Management

OP 10: Biodiversity

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Grounds Partners