Building on Progress and Navigating Bureaucracy
The Start of Herbicide-Free Texas and Where We Are Going From Here
Written by Ana Gabrielle Perez & Stephen Fox
“What starts here changes the world.”
That’s the University of Texas School of Public Affairs motto, as listed in staff email signatures and premade powerpoint templates. No pressure, right?
Jokes aside, it’s no surprise that a graduate school would market itself to prospective students with such a lofty ideal. Idealism played a huge role in my decision to apply, after all. As a first year graduate student, there are so many issues I am passionate about that deserve attention. But what draws me to activism and organizing around environmental issues is how ecojustice and sustainability intersect with public health, institutional racism, corporatism, and so many other modern problems.
Luckily, I met Stephen Fox, a dual public affairs/law student similarly driven to create meaningful change on our campus. After hearing about the national campaign Herbicide Free Campus, we joined forces to form UT’s first HFC team!
The University of Texas Austin is one of the largest universities in Texas. The main campus in Austin is a network of 231 buildings on 437 acres, although that doesn’t include properties and research centers off the main campus. As a large research institution, it’s no surprise that there are a wide range of people involved in landscaping decisions and existing sustainability initiatives. In fact, our campus is relatively progressive already.
Our work with Herbicide Free Campus (HFC) is focused on identifying how we can add to existing progress and unify different student projects to create a network of support for larger sustainability issues. Our first challenge was getting a sense of where we fit into this bureaucracy, who does the day-to-day work of spraying, and what similar initiatives are already happening on campus.
It took a few weeks to finally get a meeting scheduled with our grounds management. We had to reach out a few times and follow-up when we didn’t get any response. Initially administrative staff cc’d on our outreach emails made me nervous about the reception to our requests. But once we sat down with Jim Carse and Justin Hayes from facilities, it was clear that they were on our side.
Not only is UT rated 97% organic by AASHE, the grounds team already works with several student groups to transform our campus plot by plot. One of the most impressive accomplishments began way before we were even thinking of attending UT, back in 2009.
The South Mall is one of the most popular lawns on our campus, located near the iconic Tower on the original forty acres. After transitioning a test plot between MLK and the Littlefield fountain, Hayes and then supervisor Mike Wallick moved on to bigger projects like the Turtle Pond and eventually the South Mall itself - which ended up being a huge success.
Their process consisted of halting application of chemical fertilizers and herbicides, applying organic compost and aerating the soil. This method is cheaper and safer for students and staff. They were able to reduce water needs by 50%, and save $40,000 a year on maintaining the South Mall, which used to need re-sodding every year after commencement.
Today, landscape makes its own compost tea, has planted native grasses and plants around campus, and cultivated an entirely organic landscape around the Dell Medical Center. The Medical School is an exception because the landscape isn’t interactive, but thanks to Hayes’ and other grounds staff’s efforts, all equipment at that location is electric.
Although it’s been awhile since the grounds team has taken on a transformative project, they have some big, wishlist changes we can advocate for as we build enthusiasm among the student body. The Lyndon Baines Johnson lawn, which is just outside of our own LBJ School of Public Affairs, uses massive amounts of water. In the meantime, the grounds staff was supportive of a smaller project we could start on: weeding planters outside of Sid Richardson Hall, our school of public affairs building.
Sunset over the Lyndon Baines Johnson lawn
Our Office of Sustainability also plays a big role in connecting students to the grounds team’s work. The Campus Environmental Center, the student-led arm of the sustainability office, is seen as the environmental activism starter pack around campus, so housing a project under it is a great way to get student attention.
Half Pint Prairie, a Blackland Prairie next to the student services building, is one of the six projects funded through the Office’s Green Fund. Junior Jack Rouse, an English major, started working with Carse from facilities and the grounds team to identify a plot of land for this project three years ago. He was excited to share his success and difficulties, and echoed the need for a larger, unified movement on campus.
Another student group we’ve met with is Beevo, a student-led initiative focused on bee conservation. They planted a pollinator garden on campus with the help of faculty and staff, and are currently working to make UT a designated Bee-friendly campus. Through these efforts, they were largely responsible for having the campus go glyphosate-free in 2018.
The more we dig, the more we discover how deeply rooted these initiatives already are across campus. It’s been inspiring to meet so many people already doing great work. For us, the next step is: how do we connect and broaden the existing framework?
One idea, inspired by all of these individual efforts, is to build a coalition of groups working for environmental justice and change on our campus. Sharing practices, coordinating efforts, and connecting disparate groups not only ensures strong support for any big future asks - it allows us to make smart decisions about how to best use our energy!
During the COVID-19 crisis, we can’t gather physically to weed different problem spots on campus. However, we can focus our time on reaching out to student groups - like Half Pint Prairie and Beevo - and staff who will support our shared goal of a sustainable campus once life does return to some semblance of normality. We can plan and organize by developing a strategy through power mapping exercises, building out our contact list and selecting a few spaces to target for monthly weeding days. Seeing all of the progress already in motion, it seems all the more possible that our efforts could lead to a bigger movement of schools across Texas - a state that accounts for 5.8 percent of agricultural revenues nationwide and is notorious for lax regulations.
Stay motivated and dream big, HFCers!
Ana Gabrielle Perez is a native Austinite studying policy at the University of Texas. She is interested in pursuing economic justice through policy development and organizing. Her background in Dietetics, community gardening and food security shaped her perspective on the importance of initiatives like Herbicide Free Campus in building communities where everyone is safe, healthy and engaged.
Stephen Fox is a first year graduate student at the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs and Texas Law. A theater maker from Bethesda, MD, Stephen is focused on winning the fight against climate change through political, legal, and organizational activism. Taking better care of our natural environment is an essential element of securing a livable future, and Herbicide Free Campus is a great place to take up the fight.