Plants for Rowan

An upcoming landmark anniversary for our university presents an excellent opportunity to upgrade and improve the campus. This paper details a solution to the improvements proposed by an on-campus, student-organized environmental organization. As students who live on our University’s campus, our group felt that, among other issues, building updates and renovations were much needed to improve the sustainability of the university. Given the large amount of infrastructure on campus, research was conducted to identify unique issues. These are the very issues that must be addressed in order to build the ideal environment we are all seeking. Old buildings are susceptible to energy loss which is inefficient and costly over time. Furthermore, as proven through survey research that collected information from a diverse group of students, many felt that their mental health was not fully taken into consideration in the design of their living and workspaces. With the addition of greenery into the interior of buildings on campus, we would be able to tackle all of these problems. Installing plants inside buildings has shown to have many benefits. Not only can it improve energy sustainability, but it has shown to increase concentration levels of workers and improve students’ mental health in academic buildings and dormitories. These plants can further boost sustainability by increasing the quality of air. Low maintenance plants such as the spider plant and golden pothos would be most ideal as they do not have to be watered frequently and do not require much sunlight. With the addition of interior plants, there are some constraints to be considered. The cost and maintenance required to keep the plants thriving indoors is another concern. Even though the most favorable plants will end up being low maintenance, some level of attention will be required. All plants will need occasional watering and pruning to remain healthy. Once the concept is approved, the plant layout inside residence halls and academic buildings must be determined which will act as a main attraction upon entering the building and be cooperative with not only administration’s needs but also the needs of professors and students. Our plan of action addresses these issues and other possible problems successfully and effectively. Finally, when there is enough funding, the solution can be implemented on campus by first obtaining the plants, then scheduling and proceeding with their installation. Budgeting is estimated to be around $15,000 with a monthly maintenance charge of around $100. Fundraising can be taken care of through school sanctioned events or volunteering. There may be possible obstacles when ensuring funding is sufficient enough to provide for this consistent change, but we have found that these can be easily overcome by either student participation or funding through multiple sources. Knowing that there are multiple options available to provide this extremely effective next step for our University, it is necessary that these steps be taken in order to provide a better life for our campus community and to help reduce our impact on our environment globally.

Citation
Format

Fasino, A., & Rodgers, J., & Petersen, J. K., & Jarrett, B. A. (2021, April), Plants for Rowan Paper presented at Middle Atlantic ASEE Section Spring 2021 Conference, Virtual . 10.18260/1-2--36312

TY - CPAPER
AB - An upcoming landmark anniversary for our university presents an excellent opportunity to upgrade and improve the campus. This paper details a solution to the improvements proposed by an on-campus, student-organized environmental organization. As students who live on our University’s campus, our group felt that, among other issues, building updates and renovations were much needed to improve the sustainability of the university. Given the large amount of infrastructure on campus, research was conducted to identify unique issues.
These are the very issues that must be addressed in order to build the ideal environment we are all seeking. Old buildings are susceptible to energy loss which is inefficient and costly over time. Furthermore, as proven through survey research that collected information from a diverse group of students, many felt that their mental health was not fully taken into consideration in the design of their living and workspaces. With the addition of greenery into the interior of buildings on campus, we would be able to tackle all of these problems. Installing plants inside buildings has shown to have many benefits. Not only can it improve energy sustainability, but it has shown to increase concentration levels of workers and improve students’ mental health in academic buildings and dormitories. These plants can further boost sustainability by increasing the quality of air. Low maintenance plants such as the spider plant and golden pothos would be most ideal as they do not have to be watered frequently and do not require much sunlight.
With the addition of interior plants, there are some constraints to be considered. The cost and maintenance required to keep the plants thriving indoors is another concern. Even though the most favorable plants will end up being low maintenance, some level of attention will be required. All plants will need occasional watering and pruning to remain healthy. Once the concept is approved, the plant layout inside residence halls and academic buildings must be determined which will act as a main attraction upon entering the building and be cooperative with not only administration’s needs but also the needs of professors and students. Our plan of action addresses these issues and other possible problems successfully and effectively.
Finally, when there is enough funding, the solution can be implemented on campus by first obtaining the plants, then scheduling and proceeding with their installation. Budgeting is estimated to be around $15,000 with a monthly maintenance charge of around $100. Fundraising can be taken care of through school sanctioned events or volunteering. There may be possible obstacles when ensuring funding is sufficient enough to provide for this consistent change, but we have found that these can be easily overcome by either student participation or funding through multiple sources. Knowing that there are multiple options available to provide this extremely effective next step for our University, it is necessary that these steps be taken in order to provide a better life for our campus community and to help reduce our impact on our environment globally.
AU - Adriana Fasino
AU - Jessica Rodgers
AU - Jay Kenneth Petersen
AU - Brandon Alexander Jarrett
CY - Virtual
DA - 2021/04/09
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Plants for Rowan
UR - https://peer.asee.org/36312
DO - 10.18260/1-2--36312
ER -

Plants for Rowan

Paper Authors

Adriana Fasino Rowan University orcid.org/0000-0003-2249-4374

Jessica Rodgers Rowan University

Jay Kenneth Petersen Rowan University

Brandon Alexander Jarrett Rowan University

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