A Guide to Getting Your Hands Dirty: How Campus Green Spaces Promote Real World Problem Solving By Kevin Martini Western Michigan University Kalamazoo

A Guide to Getting Your Hands Dirty:How Campus Green Spaces Promote

Real World Problem SolvingBy Kevin Martini

Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo MI

What are campus Green Spaces?

Enabling Structures at WMU:

WMU Office for Sustainability: Mission

The mission of the Office for Sustainability is to guide and assist the Western Michigan University community in fulfilling and growing its sustainability commitments. Through building a diverse and flourishing learning community around sustainability, we will continually explore and develop new opportunities to create a culture of sustainability and improve quality of life for all.

CampusFood Waste

Student FarmVermicompostCargo

BikesCampus

Food

Current Case Studies from WMU

• Greenspace Projects undertaken include:– Native Landscape Demonstration Garden– Community Gardens– Student Farm– Greenhouse Winter herbs– Integrated Pest Management– Grafting Feasibility Test– Vermicompost Post-Consumer Waste Reduction Pilot

• Size: 8 beds• Edibles: Raspberries,

Peaches, Pears, Apples, Thyme, Hops

• Duration: 2 years• Cooperation with:

Americorps, Landscape Services, Biological Sciences

Native Landscape Demonstration Garden


Peaches, Pears, Apples, Thyme, hops














Community Gardens• Size: ~2,000 square feet• Duration: 3 years• Crops: Corn, Arugula, Kale, Carrots, Tomatoes,

Peppers, Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Turnips, Strawberries, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Spinach, Eggplants, Squash, Pumpkin, Tomatillo, Okra

• Cooperation with: Department of Biological Sciences, Common Ground, Seedsavers Exchange, Landscape Services, Catering Services, Tillers International

• Examples of classroom Skills Enhanced: Geography, Environmental Studies, Biology, Botany

















Student Farm• Size: ~12,500 square feet• Crops: Kale, Carrots, Tomatoes, Peppers, Potatoes,

Onions, Beans, Basil, Sage, Magoram, Squash, Tomatillos, Turnips, Beets, Dill, Strawberries, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Melons

• Cooperation with: Department of Biological Sciences, Common Ground, Seedsavers Exchange, Landscape Services, Catering Services, Tillers International, International Business







[Insert Farm Time Lapse Here]

Greenhouse Winter Herb Production• Herbs Grown: Chives, Opal Basil, Thai Basil, Queen

Siam Basil, Genoese Basil, Slo-bolt Parsley, Curled Leaf Parsley, Marjoram, Sage, Cilanto

• Cooperation with: Department of Biological Sciences, Catering Services

• Academic Involvement: Dietetics Internship program from the College of Education and Human Development









Integrated Pest Management: A shift from preventative applications of synthetic agrochemical to systems which try to minimize negative by treating crop fields as microcosms, with complex pest-predator-produce relationships.

Integrated Pest Management Projects• Location: Greenhouse, Student Farm,

Community Garden, Native Landscape• Cooperation with: Department of

Biological Sciences, Landscape Services• Academic Involvement: Masters in

International Development Administration program from the Political Science Department

• Purpose: To experiment with developing a sustainable yet effective pest management regime to minimize damage to installations including native landscape areas, greenhouse rooms, community gardens and the student farm
















Integrated Pest Management Projects

Grafting Feasibility Test• Location: Finch Greenhouse• Size: 20 pieces of rootstock, 30

grafts, 3 successful grafts• Cooperation with: Department of

Biological Sciences, Landscape Services, MSU Arborist

• Purpose: To experiment with grafting the once prevalent in Kalamazoo Cork Elm (Ulmus thomasii) to a more disease resistant rootstock, Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) to place into on-campus displays and native landscape areas

• Classroom Skills Enhanced: biology (in lieu of a formal botany program)





















Grafting Feasibility Test

Cork Elm bud opening up after a successful

take of a scion

[Insert Bud-opening Time Lapse Here]

Vermi-compost Pilot Study for Postconsumer Food Waste Reduction

• Cooperation with: Department of Biological Sciences, Dining Services, Catering Services, Landscape Services

• Size: 5 containers, each with 8 bins• Starting Worm Pop: 24,000• Purpose: Experiment with methods of using

vermicomposting to reduce waste from various campus food sources, including cafes, cafeterias, department offices and catered events













The unique, hands-on nature of green space research allows for inclusion of multifaceted direct learning experiences, which ultimately supplement and enhance traditional classroom learning while aiding in the development of real world problem solving skills.

• Overall, greenspace research has involved the following academic programs:– MIDA program from

the Political Science Department

– Dietetics internship program from college of health and human services

– Standing extra-credit opportunity with Environmental Studies Program

• Internships Involving the following departments:– Political Science

• MIDA

– Environmental Studies– Biology– Chemistry– Geography

• Urban Planning

– Dietetics– Fine Arts– Business

Contact Information

• Kevin Martini– Office for Sustainability– Graduate Assistant– [email protected]

• Office for Sustainability– http://www.wmich.edu/sustainability– [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.wmich.edu/sustainability

http://www.wmich.edu/sustainability

Documents

A Guide to Getting Your Hands Dirty: How Campus Green Spaces Promote Real World Problem Solving By Kevin Martini Western Michigan University Kalamazoo