Project Ideas: Land Care

As part of the Sustainable Land Care Standard, it is important for the University of Waterloo to understand the impact of current landscaping on soil health. In particular, how do landscaping practices affect carbon storage in soils? How can we increase carbon sequestration?

Road salt can be harmful to the environment through runoff and groundwater infiltration. In the winter, after salt is applied on the roads, where does it go? Are there ways snow management can be done that reduces both the amount of salt needed and the amount that enters streams and groundwater? This project explores how salt mixes with snow and where it goes.

Invasive species pose a threat to native biodiversity, but controlling their propagation can be labour-intensive and often only feasible with pesticide applications. For better management, the university must ask: where invasive species are a problem and how can non-invasive species be helped to improve resiliency?

Endangered and threatened species can play important roles in our ecosystems and often require human intervention if they are to survive and build up their populations. While provincial guidelines are available for managing Species at Risk (SAR), the University of Waterloo is looking to do more. What is needed to develop our own protocols that go beyond the basic requirements? 

How do we improve landscaping on campus? How do we better understand these barriers and develop value propositions to address sustainable landscaping practices?

What role does the Land Care Standard play in campus sustainability? Considering some of the barriers, what is the University of Waterloo doing? 

Shrubs play an important role in our urban ecosystems and their climate impacts tend to be underestimated. The University of Waterloo wants to conduct a shrub inventory and impact assessment to determine the biodiversity and health of campus greenspaces. 

The presence of trees on campus provides many benefits from sequestering carbon dioxide to supporting mental health. Despite this, the planting and maintaining of trees costs money, and therefore may be among the first services cut when budgets are tight. The University of Waterloo wants to conduct a tree inventory and impact assessment to determine the biodiversity and health of campus greenspaces. 

Included in the University of Waterloo's Sustainable Landcare Standard is the commitment to follow the Species Planting List for all new plantings. The current Species Planting List was created in 1997 and is limited to native trees and shrubs. What grasses, wildflowers and other plants should be added?