College examines herbicide use

Nate Kimball Guest Writer

One of the first things any visitor will praise Vassar for is its picturesque campus. According to Associate Executive Director of Buildings and Grounds Jeff Horst, these lawns would not be possible without the extensive use of herbicides on the campus.

Herbicides are chemicals that keep weeds from sprouting where grass is. These weeds can include dandelions, clover and plaintain, all detriments to the “entrenched aestheticism” that defines our sense of beauty.

The material safety data sheets for the three herbicides Vassar uses (Roundup Herbicide, Surflan A.S, and Lesco) reflect that they have safety hazards. The companies that make these chemicals, Monsanto, Elanor, and Lesco respectively, are required to put out these data sheets indicating the dangers of their products. All products are listed as hazardous, and the Lesco safety sheet indicated the product as a “potential carcinogen” with the others indicating, among many things, liver failure and respiratory malfunctions when exposed for a prolonged period of time to these chemicals.

Dr. Howard Freed conducted primary research on the sustainability of herbicide use at Vassar and found alarming health results.
These health effects have pushed the Sustainability Committee at the College to take action against the extensive use of herbicides on campus.

Horst contacted other colleges who had eliminated herbicide use from their campus.

All colleges continue full herbicide use on athletic fields (as Vassar would) because not having grass on playing fields presents safety issues.

However, Bates College and Middlebury College have eliminated all herbicide use from their main campuses. Both colleges have regretted the decision they made. According to Horst, Bates College commented on its flower beds “being out of control” and Middlebury Landscape Supervisor Greg Yandow commented that “Ten to 15 years of non-action has resulted in very poor-looking turf.”

In wake of the regrets of other colleges, Buildings and Grounds has proposed to remove herbicide use from 50 percent of currently treated grounds at Vassar, including Noyes Circle, the Quad, Blodgett field, and Josselyn Beach.

“We will see where we are in a year,” said Horst. He added that Vassar uses the Integrated Pest Management Protocol with weeds and invasive species in dorms; they do not use chemicals except as a last resort.

Horst is ultimately responsible for what the campus looks like to alumnae/i, prospective students, and visitors. For this reason, he and the Sustainability Committee decided that not all herbicide use would be eliminated before a test period with only a few sections left untreated.

Associate Professor of Geology Jeff Walker, head of the Sustainability Committee, said that the campus is a natural forestland, and the issue with herbicides stems from the fact that campus is not natural grassland.

He said that the obvious solution for environmental sustainability was to eliminate all herbicide use, but for the sustainability of the College, herbicide use is currently necessary: “a field of clover, plantain, and dandelions is an acquired aesthetic. It’s a marketing issue: prospective parents aren’t going to want to pay $40,000 a year for their children to go to a school that looks poorly maintained.”

By spring break this school year, the Committee wants to start trying turf management and marketing techniques to transition to a herbicide- free campus.
During October break, Buildings and Grounds plans to treat necessary areas such as those around Main, the athletic fields, and around the alumni house.

“We want other colleges to call us in ten years, and instead of admitting defeat on reduced use of herbicides like Middlebury and Bates did, we want to tell them our successful story of maintaining a healthy looking herbicide-free campus,” said Walker.