Winthrop earned the 2021 distinction through the Tree Campus Higher Education recognition by the Arbor Day Foundationfor its commitment to effective urban forest management. This is an annual recognition and provides opportunities for the campus community
to learn more about our trees and tree care. The Winthrop University Campus Tree Plan was developed in 2016 and revised in 2022 to define a long range plan that strategically
develops policies, procedures, and practices that will be used in planting, protecting,
maintaining, and removing trees that ensure a safe, attractive, and sustainable tree
campus.
The Winthrop campus provides many opportunities to introduce visitors, students, staff,
and faculty to natural systems, including an interpretive tree hike and a variety
of theme gardens. Click on the links below to learn more about these unique features
found on campus.
Pollinator Garden. Alex Rempel, Eagle Scout Award completed Fall 2016. (Located on Campus Green @
Frog Statues.)
Interpretive Campus Tree Hike. Patrick Keller, Eagle Scout Award completed Summer 2022. (Signs are located at
various locations on Campus.)
Mental Health Garden. Madison Cohen, Girl Scout Gold Award completed Spring 2023. (Located in Hardin
Garden.)
Energy conservation practices eliminated incandescent lights used on campus. Energy use trackingallows Winthrop to respond to inefficient consumption of energy while identifying
strategies for reducing costs.
Water conservation practices include, but not limited to, low flow toilets (campus-wide), low flow shower
heads, low flow faucet aerators, etc.
In 2004, the university undertook a comprehensive inventory of the chemicals used
on campus and evaluated their potential environmental impact. This inventory revealed
that many cleaners on campus were chlorine based. In addition, there were five different
general purpose cleaners and seven different glass cleaners used on campus. We realized
that it was important to change to cleaning chemicals that were not only safer to
the people using them, but also to those people living or working in the spaces where
these chemicals are used. Green cleaners approved for used on Winthrop's campus
are Green Seal Certified and exhibit the following characteristics per GS-37 Standard:
Biodegradable
Dye free
Ingredients added as fragrances must be identified on the MSDS sheet
Low or no VOCs
No ingredients may be carcinogenic or a reproductive toxin
No more than .5% total phosphorus by weight
Non-toxic to aquatic life
Non-toxic to humans — oral, inhalation, or dermal
Packaging must be recyclable
Shall not be a skin sensitizer
Sold in highly concentrated form only
Organics cycling provides mulch that has been ground from the fallen trees and limbs
picked up from around campus. This mulch has replaced the pine straw that was used
in passed years. From the Web site of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC): "Mulching is a temporary soil stabilization erosion control method where materials
such as grass, hay, wood chips, wood fibers, or straw are placed on the soil surface.
In addition to stabilizing soils, mulching enhances the absorption of water by the
soil, reduce evaporation losses, regulate soil temperatures, and reduce the speed
of storm water runoff over an area.
