Emory University
IN-26: Innovation C

In fall 2014, Emory University adopted a comprehensive Pollinator Protection Policy, which includes the following:
- Eliminate neonicotinoid use on campus grounds
- Purchase plants for campus landscaping that have not been pre-treated with neonicotinoids, to the extent feasible
- Specify in contracts with vendors and campus construction standards not to use neonicotinoid insecticides or plants pre-treated with neonicotinoids
- Ensure substitutes for neonicotinoid pesticides are safe for pollinators
- Plant pollinator-friendly habitats on campus
- Conduct campus outreach and education

The policy is the first-of-its-kind for U.S. universities and colleges because it bans neonicotinoid application, plants pre-treated with neonicotinoids, and contractors who purchase pre-treated plants, in complement with habitat enhancement and campus and community education on the issue.

The policy was informed by research conducted in partnership with the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, Friends of the Earth, and the Pesticide Research Institute, which tested plants from major retailers to determine how prevalent pre-treatment of pollinator-attractive plants is among these stores. The results were published in Gardeners Beware 2014 and updated in Gardeners Beware 2016. This research allowed the Campus Services department at Emory to make informed decisions about the plants brought to campus.

The OSI and Campus Services engage students through planting days in which they help plant pollinator-attractive flowers, shrubs and trees in buffers along Emory's streambanks. These projects have multiple positive benefits because the plants, which are not pre-treated with neonicotinoids, provide safe and enhanced habitats for pollinators, while also serving as a streambank buffer that slows and cleans stormwater runoff from the campus. These events are also opportunities to educate students about why pollinator protection is important at the individual, institutional and global levels.