Making Green Space Even Greener at BU
Making Green Space Even Greener at BU
Making Green Space Even Greener at BU
Based on new research from the Campus Climate Lab and Boston University College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) senior Wiley Hundertmark, who majors in earth and environment, BU’s Facilities Management team will be changing the way it maintains the landscaping on the Charles River Campus.
Working with faculty researchers Lucy Hutyra, a CAS associate professor of earth and environment, and Pamela Templer, a CAS professor of biology, Hundertmark embarked on a mission to understand how green spaces on the campus—namely trees, lawns, and garden beds—were contributing to the carbon cycle. To do so, he spent hundreds of hours scouring bird’s-eye view maps of the campus, digitally blocking off 5,100 different sections of the campus and labeling them as brick, concrete, paved surface, building, trees, lawn, or mulched garden areas. By measuring the carbon emissions from the different campus surface types, Hundertmark made a counterintuitive discovery about how the presence of mulch and the maintenance of grass lawns impacts the campus’ carbon cycle.
His findings not only surprised him and his research advisors, but spurred them to reach out to BU Facilities to try and improve the University’s carbon footprint. This spring and summer, BU Facilities will be using Hundertmark’s research to inform the way they plan and manage green space on the Charles River Campus.
Campus Climate Lab is a new opportunity to use the BU campus as a living laboratory to advance sustainability practices. Students and faculty are invited to submit research proposals to generate new knowledge on the impacts and mitigation of climate change in support of the University’s Climate Action Plan. The most promising ideas will be selected for funding and implementation at BU. First-round applications are due Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
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