Outdoor Spaces

• In support of local economies and businesses, ISU purchases a majority of its plants from nurseries located less than 250 miles from Ames.
• The university owns a 500-gallon rainwater collector, nicknamed "the water bubble," which saves costs related to the upkeep of campus plants.
• Technology that manages water consumption is used to save money by making use of a tool utilized at Veenker Memorial Golf Course, as well as ISU athletic fields, that measures humidity and gives the best time to water plants. 
• Ninety-five percent of the mulch Campus Services uses is produced on-campus, allowing the university to meet almost all of its mulch needs through in-house production. To make up any difference, Iowa State also accepts donations from community members and organizations that have leftover mulch from projects.
• The campus-wide installation of solar trash and recycling compactors has saved money by reducing the number of trash pickups by a ratio of 5:1, and thereby reducing labor costs by more than 90%, as well as fuel emissions and costs of outdoor garbage bags.
• Facilities Planning & Management is converting all traditional lighting (roadways, parking lots, sidewalks and building perimeters) to LEDs, requiring less maintenance and reducing energy costs.
• Spot treating weeds rather than broad application of herbicides has drastically lessened pesticide and fertilizer use -- from three pounds per 1,000 square feet to one pound per 1,000 square feet.
• Iowa native plants, which have minimal maintenance costs, are planted throughout campus.
• Plants are caged during the winter months to protect from rabbits and avoid costs of replacement through ensuring long-term health and longevity.

• Through Iowa State University's commitment to LEED, consideration of the impact of operating and utilizing outdoor spaces is given priority for all campus projects.
• Facilities Planning & Management recycles street sweepings by separating trash from rocks and soil, which can then be reused in landscaping projects rather than being landfilled.
• Campus Services uses hydroseeding to plant seed, as well as to control erosion, which utilizes a slurry of seed and paper mulch, made from recycled newspaper, to stabilize soil, moisten seeds and soil, as well as help seeds germinate.
• Iowa native plants are planted around campus to help native pollinators thrive, helping Iowa's agricultural sector, all Iowans, as well as all consumers worldwide, all of which heavily rely on pollinators. 
• Landscaping Services is currently in the process of adding and restoring prairie landscapes to increase their attractiveness to native pollinators.. These landscapes, at the Applied Science buildings and the Biorenewables Research laboratory, require little maintenance.
• Campus Services uses campus-produced mulch to help with weed control, maintain soil moisture and control temperature.
• Integrated Pest Management and other sustainable techniques are incorporated as needed to deal with pests and weeds.
• Landscaping Services uses bioswales, otherwise known as rain gardens, incorporating water-loving plants to capture run-off, filter toxins and prevent flooding. Campus bioswales are incorporated throughout campus and are most easily viewed at Troxel Hall, the southeast side of the Gerdin Business Building and the Applied Science buildings.
• Permeable pavers, which allow pollutant-filtered water to pass through its surface to prevent run-off, are used on the east side of Elings Hall, south of Troxel Hall and scattered locations throughout the campus grounds.
• TreeCYcle is a program that ensures suitable downed campus trees are salvaged for lumber to be reused for class projects and various campus initiatives.
• Students positively impact Iowa State's natural campus environment. Annually, for over a decade, students take part in a project to plant trees on campus in celebration of both Earth Day and Arbor Day.
• The solar trash compactors on campus reduce emission costs by reducing the fuel needed and used to monitor the fullness of traditional trash cans and complete ongoing trash pickups.
  • Additionally, the solar compactors' trash volumes can be monitored off-site through GPS technology, and trash pickups are only completed when necessary.

"Back in the day, we used to treat the lawns—we didn't like any weeds, so we just treated everything. Now we have tried to develop a sustainable approach. We scout areas and if there are weeds we still spot-treat them but we don’t broadcast those treatments across campus anymore. It's been a positive change over the years."

- Barb Steiner, Senior Manager Campus Services

• ISU Campus Services continues to add colorful perennials around campus to inspire a sense of beauty in those who visit. This is a continuation of the Campus Beautification Initiative, which includes an expansion of Reiman Gardens, for which Iowa State has been recognized as the world's 15th most beautiful campuses.
• Campus Services has a strong relationship with the ISU Landscape Architecture and Horticulture departments, enabling the adoption of creative landscaping solutions for campus.
• Campus Services and Facilities Services collaborate with different classes to create educational opportunities for students with projects, including plantings, landscape design and rebuilding outdoor areas and structures, such as patios.
• Campus Services offers plants, as well as planting plans and procedures, that act as teaching tools to classes at the request of students and faculty members.
• In 2016, Campus Services collaborated with the Horticulture department for the Witchhazel Walk project, which was partially funded by Facilities Planning and Management.
• Campus Services prioritizes pedestrian and bicycle transportation, as well as related issues of safety, visibility, proper signage and traffic signals, which includes routinely examining entrances and exits of campus buildings and researching capacity and use to ensure sidewalks meet the needs of students.
• In response to an increased need for and interest in spaces and technology to allow more people to work outside, Campus Services partnered with Student Government to place 35 tables, funded by students, and placed throughout campus in new and expanded outdoor seating areas. Included in this initiative is the inclusion of outdoor, solar-powered charging stations.
• Campus Services supports the needs of students by providing more dining options throughout campus, partnering with Purchasing and Procurement to find low-cost spaces to accommodate food trucks on campus and provide necessary amenities, such as picnic tables and power.
• Campus Services offers a “free wood” program, collected from downed and damaged trees that are not used to make mulch or repurposed for the TreeCYcle program, for community use.
• Iowa State University earned the Tree Campus USA designation awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation. This designation is based on five standards surrounding tree health and student involvement: the creation of a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for the campus tree program, hosting an arbor day observance, as well as completing a service learning project.
• The installation of new LEDs on campus provide a safer outdoor environment by supplying more expansive lit areas throughout campus, compared to traditional lighting.

"This can be a stressful environment for students, at least during certain times of the year. Seeing people out playing Frisbee or laying in the sun on central campus gives people a nice, safe place that they can always feel good about when they walk past."

- Barb Steiner, Senior Manager Campus Services