Lesli Marchese, Campus Carrier Deputy News Editor
There are over 27,000 acres that comprise Berry’s campus, and we, as a college and a community, are instituting many strategies to make it more environmentally sustainable.
“The future is the end result,” director of agriculture operations and sustainability Eddie Elsberry said. “We want to sustain Berry College for future generations, not just five years from now.”
Current environmental initiatives that Berry is working on include wildlife management, the Tree Canopy Plan, more energy efficient units, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications, and participation in the Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
“Berry has such a huge and diverse campus,” Zachary Taylor, assistant professor of environmental science, said. “With sustainability there are a lot of ways to do it right.”
Berry has now designated over 16,000 acres as Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). According to the DNR, these lands are set aside to sustain the widest possible range of native wildlife in their natural habitats. The DNR manages the land by species and habitat restoration/management, surveying and monitoring the land, setting regulations for hunting and fishing, outreach programs for the community and education about area management.
The Tree Canopy plan ensures the growth and health of trees on main campus. This is part of the requirements involved in receiving the Tree Campus USA award, which Berry was presented with in 2014.
Berry is retrofitting HVAC units and other equipment on campus with more energy efficient units and energy recovery wheels.
Morgan and Deerfield are both LEED certified. Elsberry said the college has pledged to have all new buildings on campus up to LEED qualifications.
The American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is an effort by a network of colleges and universities to pursue climate neutrality. Berry has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 10 percent by 2020 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
There are many smaller environmental initiatives on campus by the college itself, in the realm of academia and directed by students.
Berry participates in Recyclemania every year, which is a nation wide competition that measures how much recycled material is used and disposed of on campus per capita. The college also grows sustainable gardens.
The Educational Land Management (ELM) committee is comprised of Berry faculty and staff who discuss the use of land at Berry. This committee works to integrate an ecosystem management plan that provides the most benefits in terms of education and use of the land while responsibly managing Berry’s land resources.
There are many professors who are working on personal environmental initiative projects.
“[I want to construct] some sort of educational component for people who visit campus to realize that this is a pretty vibrant natural area,” Taylor said.