By Anonymous
Interaction(s)
The human-environment interaction I chose to explore for this assignment is the ineffective mulch placement near the Nguyen Engineering Building. The Office of Sustainability recently replenished the mulching around various areas of campus, including the spot in question. The mulch for this area was placed primarily to serve as a pathway for students to maintain the aesthetic value of the area by preventing a desire path from forming. However, the hilly geography of the location makes the pathway susceptible to rainwater- causing the mulch to disperse and spread away from the path and towards the sidewalk and storm drains.
Resource characteristics
The characteristics in question consist of water runoff from rainstorms, the geographic features of the area, and the lack of vegetation within the mulched area. The mulch pathway contains a myriad of disadvantages for the area. The first is that it prevents other plants from germinating, which can result in a slight decrease in the number of plants and biodiversity in the area (All Around Soil and Stone, 2017). The second is the runoff mulch can impact the water quality of the area by getting into storm drains, adding pollutants, and further contributing to street runoff.
Governance/user characteristics
The primary governance system residing over this issue is the university itself- specifically the Office of Sustainability and various Mason Facilities (Lo, 2018). GMU is responsible for all landscaping efforts on campus, which includes mulching. However, on a federal level, the EPA is also involved. While there are no strict regulations regarding mulch specifically, the EPA does have recommendations for what mulch should consist of- namely recyclable products.
Political settings and/or related ecosystems
There are a few ecosystem systems that contribute to this issue, such as the water cycle and how it contributes to runoff. Looser sediment is easier for water to carry and displace, which can cause a myriad of issues such as property damage, pollutant spread, etc (Washington State University, 2015). Aesthetic variables can also contribute to this issue, as the desire for a pretty landscape means that actions against structures such as desire paths are more likely.
Solutions
While there aren’t many actions, we can take on an individual level to solve this issue, there are a few things the university can do. First, the university can implement a dry stream in the affected area to catch runoff, as they can greatly improve the drainage of a certain area. Because this dry stream would only run in the most affected zones, the pathway can continue to exist and would even become more stable in the process. The second thing the university can do is incorporate more plants in the pathway, as this can help keep the runoff in place. While doing this would make the mulch less effective as a pathway, it would prevent runoff and could also be used to increase the number of native plants located on campus. Furthermore, it can contribute to the aesthetic value of the campus. The third solution is to install netting underneath the mulch, as the netting could help catch the mulch and decrease the amount of runoff (Lisa, 2021).
Photos
Works Cited
All Around Soil & Stone. (2017, November 22). Positive and negative effects of mulch. All Around Soil & Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://soilandstone.com/positive-negative-effects-mulch/
Lisa. (2021, June 7). 6 smart ways to keep mulch in place on a slope. The Practical Planter. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://thepracticalplanter.com/how-to-keep-mulch-in-place-on-slope/
Lo, M. B. M. (2018, January 18). Who manages the grounds and landscaping at Mason? Office of Sustainability. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://green.gmu.edu/ufaqs/who-manages-the-grounds-and-landscaping-at-mason/
Washington State University. (2015). Understanding the impacts of runoff: Shore stewards: Washington State University. Shore Stewards. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://shorestewards.cw.wsu.edu/faq/understanding-the-impacts-of-runoff/