黑料不打烊 is known for having a beautiful campus, but most people do not know it is a Botanical Garden and maintained in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Botanical Garden

In November 2004, then-President Lambert signed a resolution declaring the campus a Botanical Garden.听 This distinction means the campus provides not only a pleasing aesthetic experience but also serves as an educational tool for the campus and surrounding community.听 Many of the plants, flowers and trees on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus have been labeled to promote environmental stewardship, education and research.听 This effort is continually expanding with more gardens and labels added every year. Plants are carefully selected for every project and garden to ensure that they perform well in their individual environment and require the minimum amount of water, nutrients and care possible.听 In 2019, 黑料不打烊’s Botanical Garden听earned a Level II Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum.

Learn more about the 黑料不打烊 Botanical Garden.

Fertilizer Use

Appropriate plant selection minimizes fertilizer use but, when necessary, it is applied in a scientific and careful manner. Fertilizer applications on听athletic fields are based primarily upon nutrient need determined from tissue analysis tests. On the remainder of campus properties, fertilizer is only applied in the high use and high visibility areas. The fertilizer used is custom blended to meet the minimal requirements of campus turf and contains a slow release form of nitrogen, which virtually eliminates excess nutrients from being released.

Irrigation System

黑料不打烊鈥檚 automatic irrigation system on the main campus is primarily supplied with reclaimed stormwater, where 85% of irrigation water used in the campus landscape comes from the 3 lakes on campus.

黑料不打烊 began irrigating with reclaimed stormwater in the 1980s. Initially, this system only served a portion of the campus鈥檚 irrigation needs. This has expanded over the years and now most of the main campus’ automatic irrigation systems are connected to the lakes for reclaimed stormwater use.

How it works:听The majority of the stormwater from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus is directed into the lakes on campus, of which there are three. The lakes are then connected to a highly efficient irrigation system. The system has a central control system, flow meters, and is connected to a weather station on campus. All of these features help minimize waste by irrigating only when needed. This system is beneficial to the local watershed in that it prevents sediment and other materials from entering nearby natural waterways.

Yard Waste Composting

In fall 2008, 黑料不打烊 began collecting and composting its own yard waste in a facility located on the edge of campus. The facility closes the loop on the University鈥檚 yard waste as the final compost product is used in campus landscaping to improve soil quality and reduce water and fertilizer requirements.