Grounds

Grounds maintenance at UofL is the responsibility of Physical Plant. The Sustainability Council works with the Grounds crew to explore ways to protect campus trees; to minimize the waste and excessive use of water, fertilizers, pesticides, salt and fossil fuels; and to find effective options for lower-maintenance and native species plantings.

Campus Trees

Although we’re located in an urban area, our 309-acre park-like Belknap campus has over 1100 trees representing many species.

Belknap Tree Tour

We invite you to take a self-guided 1.75mile walking tour of some of the interesting and historical trees on Belknap campus. Check out theinteractive map, download the Tree Tour pamphlet or pick up a print version during business hours at the North Information Center, 1999 S. First Street (call 502-852-6565 for information).

The Importance of Trees

• Our trees bring natural beauty to our campus.
• They are an archive of our past and part of the circle of life we share with nature. They also play an essential role in UofL’s initiatives to create a sustainable campus environment.
• A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year.
• Trees clean the air by filtering pollution – absorbing carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide – and acting as enormous carbon sinks.
• Trees clean the soil by absorbing dangerous chemicals and other pollutants that have entered it. Locking away carbon dioxide in the wood, roots and leaves, they reduce “greenhouse” gases that contribute to global climate change.

Belknap Campus Tree Map

• Trees control noise pollution, muffling urban noise almost as effectively as stone walls.
• Trees slow storm-water runoff by capturing rain water on leaves and stems and binding the soil, reducing flash flooding and recharging underground aquifers.
• Trees shade and cool in the summer and break the force of winter winds. They cut costs and energy consumed by heating and cooling buildings. Trees harbor birds and other wildlife, including UofL’s famed white squirrels, making our urban centers a more pleasant place to live.

Check out the self-guided Belknap Campus Tree Tour

• On a more philosophical level, the majesty of trees allows our minds to wander. While rooted in the ground, they reach for the sky.
• Age, winds and ice have taken a toll on Belknap Campus trees in recent years, but UofL is committed to maintaining campus as a green oasis in an urban setting. We have achieved national designation as a “Tree Campus USA.”
• To help financially with UofL’s tree program, visit louisville.edu/restoreuofl. You also can write a check to UofL Foundation Inc. and note “Restore UofL - Trees" on the memo line. Mail it to: Advancement Services, University of Louisville, 215 Central Ave. Suite 300, Louisville KY 40208-1452.

Tree Campus USA

UofL achieved Tree Campus USA designation for 2010 from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

• UofL met or exceeded all five of the standards required for Tree Campus USA designation in 2010 and has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for excellence. 
• UofL's Campus Tree Care Plan was finalized December 10, 2010.
• Our Tree Campus USA program is coordinated by the University of Louisville Campus Tree Advisory Committee which formed in February 2010, and holds meetings, events, and service learning activities throughout the year.
  
• The mission of the University of Louisville Campus Tree Advisory Committee is to promote, enhance, and protect the urban forest on University of Louisville property. The committee seeks to engage students, faculty, staff and community members in pursuing this mission in line with the University of Louisville’s commitment to climate neutrality and sustainability.
• If you're interested in getting involved in the Campus Tree Advisory Committee, please contact the Chair, Justin Mog.
  

Integrated Pest Management

Pests on UofL campus grounds are monitored for threshold levels. Cultural practices are the main defense against pests and are used in most situations to solve problems. Chemical controls are used as a last resort when there is a potential for total crop failure. These products are selected for low use rates per acre and low environmental toxicity.

Lower-maintenance micro-clover experimental plot

The Grounds crew has been experimenting with a micro-clover plot outside of the Miller Information Technology Center which doesn't require frequent mowing and fixes nitrogen to maintain soil fertility. If the plot proves successful, it may be a model for converting other campus areas from high-maintenance grass turf.

Snow & Ice Removal

Ice melting products are selected based on environmental conditions. The weather is monitored closely and preventative applications are used only when snow and ice accumulation is imminent. Equipment is calibrated to apply the proper amount of product to facilitate ice/snow removal.

Low-Emission Mowers

In an effort to use less fuel and further reduce our carbon footprint, UofL's fleet of lawnmowers is being converted to run on cleaner-burning propane rather than gasoline. Mowers powered with propane burn up to 30 percent less fuel, generate less carbon waste and are safer and easier to maintain than mowers powered with gasoline.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that garden equipment engines produce up to 10% of the nation’s air pollution. Studies show that a conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars.

In 2011, Physical Plant began switching over its entire mower fleet—eight push mowers, five riding mowers and two walk-behind mowers—to run on propane. Learn more.

Native Species

Native trees, shrubs and grasses are specified for landscape plantings at UofL. When non-natives are utilized for special applications, they are selected on the merits of being insect and disease resistant (thereby reducing the need for chemical inputs). Non-native plants must be hardy in planting zones 6-7 (the type that thrive on our campus) to best ensure they will thrive with minimal assistance.

Irrigation

Central Irrigation Control is being considered for Belknap Campus. This control system will irrigate based on real time soil moisture data as well as evapotranspiration data. Currently we monitor the environmental conditions and manually adjust our 18 (Belknap Campus only) automatic irrigation controllers based on weather data. Central Irrigation Control can save up to 30% of water for irrigation purposes. Proper watering, based on real-time data, is healthier for plants and can help them fight off disease and insects naturally. A "Rainbird SMT" smart controller was installed in 2009 at Thrust Theatre. A pilot study is underway to determine feasability for Evapotranspiration Based irrigation control. Some new buildings have been designed to capture storm water and condensate for use when irrigating lawns and landscaping.

Horner Wildlife Refuge

The University owns the Horner Conservation Property, also referred to as the Moore Observatory, which contains over 200 acres of wildlife habitat in Oldham County near Brownsboro, about 30 minutes from Belknap Campus. Get an aerial view of UofL's own wildlife refuge!

Composting

1. Yard Waste: The University of Louisville Grounds Maintenance Department utilizes selected green waste created from the care of the lawns, landscape and trees on Belknap campus to create compost/mulch on site. This includes chipped/shredded tree limbs, shrub trimmings and leaves. These materials are "tub ground" once or twice per year for mixing and particle size reduction. They are then piled based on their age and turned regularly for aeration. Irrigation for the operation is supplied by rainfall. After the items have decomposed to a satisfactory state, they are utilized in campus landscaping or given to the university community.
2. Animal Bedding: UofL's research facilities generate about 400 tons/year of waste animal bedding. This used to be sent to the landfill, but in February 2012, UofL began sending this waste stream to the Earth First composting facility, where it is turned into an environmentally-responsible soil amendment.
3. UofL On-Site Food Waste Composting
   July 2010 - January 2012
   Material Composted: 65,980lbs.
   Volunteer Labor: 500+ hours
   UofL Green Scene: Composters Wanted
   Food composting comes to campus (UofL Today)
   Food Waste:
   
   The dirt on the dirt: organic composting at the University of Louisville (Louisville Cardinal)
   • UofL began on-site composting of pre-consumer food waste from its Belknap campus dining facilities in July 2010. The composting program involved employee and student volunteers and was designed to be educational and coordinated with the campus Garden Commons project which needs a steady supply of compost. Read more about the project here.
   • You can now compost your own organics on campus at the Garden Commons, which set up four rolling compost bins next to the greenhouse behind the Cultural Center in 2011.
   • In an effort to scale-up food waste composting efforts, in March 2012, UofL established a new sub-contract with Blue Skies Recycling for collection and twice-weekly pick-up of all food wastes from UofL dining facilities. This allows for the capture of both pre- and post-consumer food wastes, as well as meats, bones, and dairy-products, all of which are now collected and composted into organic soil amendments at a site in southern Indiana, about 25 miles north of campus, run by Koetter & Smith. This new system has allowed us to keep as much as 6000 pounds of food waste out of the landfill each week!