Three Washington universities and colleges become first to achieve Green Grounds Certification

Prescott College achieves Green Grounds Certification at the Platinum Level 

Prescott College recognized by Re:wild Your Campus for efforts to reduce toxic pesticide use and improve sustainability of campus grounds

For immediate release, March 5, 2025

Prescott College received the Green Grounds Certification at the Platinum level, awarded by advocacy group Re:wild Your Campus. This new certification recognizes campuses that are eliminating the use of toxic pesticides, increasing organic land care, fostering biodiversity and promoting soil health. 

“We created the Green Grounds Certification to incentivize schools to protect both the workers and student populations and highlight their commitment to biodiversity, proving that managing grounds without chemicals is practical and achievable,” said Mackenzie Feldman, co-director of Re:wild Your Campus. “We are working with schools across the nation to close the knowledge gap that exists when it comes to organic land care principles and implementation. This certification will help us recognize the work being done on these campuses and beyond to ditch the toxins and go organic.” 

Prescott College has been implementing organic practices for over a decade, proudly maintaining a campus free from toxic pesticides like glyphosate. Instead, Prescott College focuses on prevention, using methods like mulching with their own wood chips, sealing buildings to reduce attractants, and following best-management practices for composting systems.

They also embrace a "wild" landscaping philosophy, prioritizing native plants to create natural habitats that support diverse wildlife. Their efforts reflect a deep commitment to sustainability and a harmonious relationship with the environment.

“We are grateful and super excited to achieve this Platinum level of Green Grounds Certification,” said Tim Graves, Director of Facilities at Prescott College. “Prescott College embraces the value of Regenerative Sustainability. We fundamentally respect the Earth and its interconnected inhabitants and commit to contributing to its healing. To honor that value, we hold absolute respect for the environment, ecology, and biodiversity on the grounds at Prescott College. We do that by keeping all grounds free from harmful contaminants, i.e., pesticides and herbicides. Our entire Prescott College Community strives to provide a safe environment for all students, staff, faculty, and our community. We will continue to be steadfast in our pursuit of defending the natural world by taking a “wild”, clean, and green approach to our campus grounds.”

The Green Grounds Certification has three levels in addition to Platinum. To receive certification, Bronze level schools must manage 50% of campus managed area without synthetic pesticides, Silver level schools must manage 70% of campus managed area without synthetic pesticides, Gold level schools must manage 90% of campus managed area without synthetic pesticides, and Platinum schools must manage a fully organic campus without the use of any synthetic pesticides. Campuses must also meet other requirements which include submitting pesticide usage reports, notifying the campus community when pesticides are used and replacing fossil fuel-powered campus maintenance equipment with electric ones. The certification is currently available for institutions of education, including k-12 schools, but Re:wild Your Campus plans to expand into certifying hospitals, corporate campuses, hotels, places of worship, and beyond.

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Re:wild Your Campus:
Founded by a group of passionate students, Re:wild Your Campus is transforming the land care paradigm and is on a mission to eliminate synthetic pesticides from all college campuses in the U.S. by 2030. Through working closely with campus administrators, groundskeepers, students, faculty, and local organizations, Re:wild Your Campus eliminates synthetic pesticides, implements organic land care, and increases biodiversity and native plants through education and projects tailored to each campus's unique needs and goals. Re:wild Your Campus is a fiscally sponsored project of Re:wild. Learn more at: rewildyourcampus.org/

Contact:
Sheina Crystal
Co-Director
Re:wild Your Campus
scrystal@rewild.org
202-469-2674