Campus as Landscape
Rather than imposing our built and managed spaces on the land, our Landscaping Crew maintains our 100 acres of central campus as landscape, meaning we provide habitat for pollinators, birds, and other critters, minimize our use of chemical controls, and preserve the ecology of our mountain home. While this may mean a little more sweat equity, we’re not the only ones who think it’s well worth the effort:
- Certified Wildlife Habitat (National Wildlife Foundation)
- Native Plant Habitat (North Carolina National Parks Service)
- Certified Monarch Butterfly Waystation (Monarch Watch)
- Tree Campus USA (Arbor Foundation)
- Bee Campus USA (Bee City USA)
One of the largest work crews, the Landscaping Crew ensures the beauty, safety, and ecology of central campus is maintained. Whether they’re plowing snow, climbing trees to remove dead limbs, planting milkweed, or mowing lawns, our Landscaping Crew is there to answer the call.
Some of the most rewarding things about working on Landscaping are working outside with a wonderful variety of people and getting to see the fruits of our collective labor every time I walk through campus. Plus I get to play with all kinds of cool tools and machinery!
Nolan Thompson
I enjoy that I get to learn skills that I never would have learned from taking classes; everyday I get hands on experience with real world job skills. I have learned how to design landscapes and put them in place. It’s amazing watching it go from the paper to in the ground!
Sarah Woody
One thing I love about landscaping crew is that I can walk around campus and see how much nicer it looks after we have finished working. I have learned the value of working hard and being part of a community.
Ryan Segall