Landscaping with a Bigger Purpose

The Story:

Landscaping adds beauty, but it can have negative effects on the environment. This isn’t the case at NSAC. Each year, 80-100 tons of yard waste are composted at the on-campus manure compost facility. Half finished compost is used as a soil amendment and mulch for shrubs and perennials around campus. Plans are underway to have finished compost return as turf top dressing to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer used.

NSAC’s Grounds Unit has also thought about the little details that go unnoticed by many. The Rock Garden and Butterfly Meadow contain many naturally occurring plants, which limits water consumption. The Rock Garden has a dry stream bed that traps moisture and helps produce a fertile growing environment. All of the wooden structures in the Rock Garden are made of white cedar, rather than pressure treated lumber, that has naturally occurring chemicals that inhibit decay.

The Numbers:

• Approximate amount of compost used each year on-campus: 20 tons
• Approximate amount of fertilizer replaced with compost each year: 250 lbs
• Amount of compost donated to community garden initiatives each year: 5 cubic yards

The Facts:

• Over 60 per cent of water pollution is caused by cars leaking oil, fertilizers from farms and gardens and failing septic tanks
• A tablespoon of pressure treated wood ash contains enough arsenic to kill an adult

Source: www.origen.net/arsenic.html

Change your view. Fertilizing may be quick, but it has long term consequences.