Department of Horticulture
134A Plant Science Building
236 Tower Rd.
Ithaca, New York 14853-5904 http://hort.cals.cornell.edu
Nina L. Bassuk
Office 33 Plant Science Building
Telephone 607.255.4586
Fax 607.255.0599
Email NLB2@cornell.edu www.hort.cornell.edu/uhi
January 15, 2013
I am pleased to write to confirm that of Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) accreditation was conferred to the
Mann Library Entrance landscape in 2012, which meets the criteria required by the AASHE STARS Reporting
Framework for Innovation credits.
The Mann landscape was one of 11 nationally accredited landscapes for sustainable practices and the first in a college setting. This 5000 square foot site was degraded during the renovation of Mann Library. As a class project, we engaged with stakeholders, analyzed the site and soil conditions and then remediated the landscape and installed a new landscape with seating and appropriate plants. Since it’s installation, it has been very successful at supporting and increasing ecosystem services such as water infiltration, plant growth, habitat creation, and providing spaces for social interaction without the use of irrigation, fertilization or pesticides.
We hope that it will become a model for landscape development on the campus and in the wider community.
If I can help answer other questions about the landscape or the SITES process, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely
Nina Bassuk
Professor and Program Leader, Urban Horticulture Institute
Department of Horticulture
Cornell University
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