Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 64.57
Liaison Sherri Mason
Submission Date June 14, 2023

STARS v2.2

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
IN-20: Grounds Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Sherri Mason
Director of Sustainability
School of Science
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
Yes or No
ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Yes
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) ---
Bee Campus USA ---
Demeter Biodynamic ---
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard ---
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List Standard ---
National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program ---
An Organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) endorsed by IFOAM ---
Salmon-Safe ---
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) ---
Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) Yes
An equivalent program approved by AASHE ---

A brief description of the institution’s third party certified land holdings:
Many people collect postcards or magnets when they travel. Ernst and Mary Behrend collected trees — a Persian ironwood, a Japanese umbrella pine, a snowdrift crabapple — which they planted on their farm in Harborcreek Township.

In 1948, following the death of Ernst, who owned the Hammermill Paper Company, Mary Behrend donated the farm to Penn State, which had been hoping to locate a campus in Erie. The property, which was initially called Behrend Center, included a vast, wooded campus with a unique collection of trees from around the globe.

In addition to its educational mission, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is now an arboretum, with more than 200 tree species on an 854-acre campus. The college is a member of the American Public Gardens Association.

Penn State Behrend was initially awarded the Tree Campus USA distinction in 2014 and has been renewed every year since.

Documentation affirming the certification(s):
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Website URL where information affirming the certification(s) is available:

Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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