What We're Doing
Grounds
Storm Water Management Program
Beginning in 2007, WWU, in concert with the Washington State Department of Ecology, implemented a Storm Water Management Program (SWMP) with the expressed purpose of reducing the discharge of pollutants from Western's storm water system to the maximum extent practicable and to protect the water quality of out-flowing waterways. For more information on the program click here.
Green Grounds
100 percent of the grounds on campus are covered by an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan and 90 percent of the lawns are mulched to limit the amount of trimmings produced. The remaining 10 percent of grass trimmings are composted. The majority of Western's compost is composed of fallen leaves. Chemical herbicides and insecticides are not used on campus landscaping. As required by Washington state law, all WWU gardeners go through IPM training to earn a Pesticide Application License. When the university determines that an area should be maintained at a higher standard or more frequently manicured, herbicides and chemical fertilizers may be necessary to achieve the desired goal.
Campus Habitat
Western installs many native species such as vine-maple, red alder, western white pine, Douglas fir, western hemlock, and the western red cedar. Plants are matched with an area according to sun and wind exposure, water availability, and space to grow relative to adjacent species. When choosing plants for landscaping the gardening department will take a holistic approach to make sure the right plant is in the right place. Tree preservation is a high priority. Western tries to replace every tree lost from disease, is damaged, or is removed because of a construction project.
Green Equipment
WWU has transitioned to quieter 4-cycle engine leaf blowers which produce fewer emissions. The lawn mowers used by WWU gardeners are all 4-cycle engines and weed eaters and gas saws are 2-cycle engines.
Program Contact: Randy Godfrey, Lead Gardener
Email: Randy.Godfrey@wwu.edu