| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.85 |
| Liaison | Laura Young |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Michigan State University
IN-11: Grounds Certification
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Amy
Butler Campus Sustainability Director MSU Sustainability |
Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
| Yes or No | |
| Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) or ACSP for Golf | No |
| Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard | No |
| National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program | No |
| An IFOAM-endorsed organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) | No |
| Salmon-Safe | No |
| Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) | No |
| Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) | Yes |
| Bee Campus USA | No |
| An equivalent program approved by AASHE | No |
A brief description of institution owned and/or managed land that is currently third party certified under one or more of the programs listed above, including the year each certification was achieved and/or renewed:
The main campus of MSU became certified as Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2017. In addition to this certification; MSU has launched a unique program that commemorates and reuses this wood from felled trees into furniture and art, called the MSU Shadows Program. https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160811/NEWS01/160819973/michigan-state-university-effort-turns-felled-trees-into-furniture. The program is called ""MSU Shadows,"" a nod to the name of the school's alma mater. The Department of Forestry, the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum, Landscape Services and several Michigan artists are involved. They hope to use it as a model for other communities.http://btn.com/2016/11/12/michigan-states-trees-cast-mighty-shadows-btn-livebig/. The program also supports ongoing research using the campus as a living laboratory - “Many of the trees that are growing here on the MSU campus actually pre-date the campus,” says Telewski, who is also a professor of plant biology. “We have found trees that are potentially over 350 years old.”
Telewski notes that the trees of Michigan State represent more than a beautiful landscape; campus plant life is an important teaching and research tool for the college. In 2013 alone, over $10,000,000 in research, ranging from how insects utilize the flora to creating root rot resistant Cherry trees, utilized the trees and plants found on campus. https://msushadows.com/
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2018/msu-receives-2017-tree-campus-usa-recognition/
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.