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Penn State Uses IPM in Environmental Strategy - November 2001
November 29, 2001
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Penn State is taking strides to demonstrate its commitment to the environment through its revised Environmental Strategy program.
The University's Environmental Strategy contains several objectives, including efficient use and conservation of energy, water and other resources; minimizing solid waste production; and practicing environmentally responsible campus design and planning principles by incorporating Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Penn State's Office of Physical Plant's (OPP) landscape department utilizes IPM to manage landscape pests and the pesticides used for their control. IPM aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe and environmentally compatible.
Penn State's Environmental Strategy also utilizes IPM principles by designing landscapes that minimize irrigation and pesticide/herbicide use. OPP will incorporate plantings that minimize pesticide/herbicide use as a design guideline by July 2002. According to Lloyd Rhoades, manager of Central Services of OPP and the OPP IPM coordinator, two advisory bodies were formed. One is campus wide and the other consists of technical experts. The Campus Environmental Stewardship Committee serves as the campus wide advisory body, and Rhoades acts as the liaison to this committee. The technical committee consists of pest management experts from academic departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences as well as OPP personnel.
Ron Eckenroth, supervisor in Grounds and Maintenance in OPP, says that many IPM practices have been used around the campus for years. "Before, we would assess a problem and sometimes use IPM tactics as appropriate. Now, we have a formal policy in place with specific guidelines to follow."
For more information on Penn State's Environmental Strategy, go to web site http://www.opp.psu.edu/f&benvstrategy/index.html.