This workshop has passed. You can purchase a copy of the recording and resource materials. 

This workshop, hosted by Herbicide-Free Campus and top university leaders in ecological land management, provides an in depth look at the current state of organic land management on university campuses. Campuses need to have collaborative and supportive environments to transition away from synthetic pesticide usage. In this workshop expert Sustainability Directors and Grounds Managers will share their technical examples followed by discussion and networking time to share resources and problem solve both by region and knowledge level. Potential barriers to stakeholder buy-in will be addressed for how to convince your finance and operations departments that an organic transition is possible, and in fact necessary to reach universities’ climate goals. Topics of the workshop will include: cost, ecological benefits, soil health, water retention, alternatives to synthetic inputs, climate resilience and student participation.

This workshop is for Sustainability and Grounds Professionals, students, faculty or administration who are interested in learning about how to best support the transition to organic on campus landscapes. All knowledge levels are welcome regardless of the state of campus land management and herbicide use. We will also touch upon the AASHE STARS Grounds credit and how to work to improve your score by moving towards organic landscaping and biodiversity enhancement.

Facilitators

Mackenzie Feldman, Executive Director Herbicide-Free Campus
Mackenzie Feldman is the Founder and Executive Director of Herbicide-Free Campus, an organization that works with students and groundskeepers around the country to advocate for an end to the spraying of synthetic herbicides at schools and a transition to organic land management. Her campaign resulted in the entire University of California system going glyphosate-free, and Mackenzie worked with a coalition to get herbicides banned from every public school in the state of Hawaii. Mackenzie is also a Food Research Fellow for Data For Progress and received the Brower Youth Award in 2019 for her work with Herbicide-Free Campus.

Shannon Britton, Grounds and Landscaping Manager, 
Shannon Britton is Grounds Manager for Seattle University, where she partners with campus gardeners, students, faculty, staff and local businesses to help fulfill her objectives for integrating exceptional care for university grounds as a learning laboratory and notable gardens in the city. She facilitates integrated processes for best practices, including organic, pesticide-free and sustainable care for various types of gardens, lawns and athletic fields. Under her leadership, Grounds employs students throughout the year who work with gardeners to learn and gain skills in each of the areas. Students also develop a strong work ethic and accountability with the team, community and the environment.

Tyson Kemper, Grounds Supervisor, University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College
Tyson Kemper is Grounds Supervisor at the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College campus where he helped shepherd the Grounds Department from chemically based landscape maintenance practices to the greener pastures of Organic Land Care in 2006. He grew up working for his dad’s landscaping company in Vancouver, Washington and eventually earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Botany from the University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Forest Resources from the University of Idaho. Tyson is happy to have returned to his roots in the garden blessed with a deeper understanding of the natural world afforded him by his years of working in and observing the wild. His primary interests include growing food, family, and community in beautiful Bothell, Washington.

Heather Henriksen, Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
Heather Henriksen has served as Harvard University’s chief sustainability officer since 2008, advising the President and senior leadership on strategy and building an organizational change enterprise. Heather directs the Office for Sustainability which oversees the implementation of the Harvard’s comprehensive Sustainability Plan (co-created with faculty and students in 2014) and the University’s ambitious new Climate Action Plan (to be fossil fuel-free by 2050 and fossil fuel-neutral by 2026), which builds upon the 2016 achievement of Harvard’s initial science-based climate goal. Heather additionally was a key figure in Harvard’s test pilot and eventual transition to organic of Harvard Yard and the surrounding campus.

Chip Osborne, President, Osborne Organics
Chip is the president of Osborne Organics, LLC, a company he founded to support and educate the land care industry and public sector in alternative approaches to turf management. Chip’s natural strategies blend science with hands on experience to create safe, sustainable, and healthy athletic fields and landscapes that do not involve the use of synthetic pesticides and chemical based fertilizers. As a national consultant, Chip works with state agencies, municipalities, universities and nonprofit organizations in the areas of organic turf management and pesticide elimination. Chip was instrumental in the transition of UC Berkeley, Pepperdine, and other US institutions.

Any questions about the workshop?
Please contact Daita Serghi, education@aashe.org