St Stithians goes one step greener
PETER PLACE - Servest has completed a greening project at St Stithians College which will help the school reach its target of being carbon neutral by 2015.
Rene Swart, operational director at the college said, “It made strategic sense to partner with Servest on one of our greening projects. This saw the Servest Group assist us in removing alien vegetation and helping us to develop an indigenous garden.”
One of St Stithian’s objectives was to reduce kikuyu grass in order to cut water and maintenance costs.
With indigenous areas and dams on the campus, Servest extended the natural footprint to attract wildlife, reduce maintenance costs and create an aesthetically softer landscape.
“Our aim was to help St Stithians to reduce up to 10 000m² of kikuyu that will result in a cost saving of R120 000 per year on mowing, water, and other maintenance,” said Terry van der Riet, managing director of landscape and turf at Servest.
A full-time environmental team was allocated to manage the area and ensure alien vegetation was completely removed and treated, preventing the re-growth of dormant plants.
“Servest has really done a fantastic job to help us create this garden where parents and students can sit and relax and enjoy the environment,” said Swart.
In addition, Servest supplied the indigenous trees and plants to the college, and is also responsible for managing the compost site in the recycling centre on campus.
“By utilising the cut grass and off-cuts for recycling, we have been able to supply compost that serves the gardens throughout the college,” said Van der Riet.
“We wanted to give our campus a more African feel with indigenous plant, insect and bird species. This has already seen quite a number of local birds returning to our sanctuary to provide a balanced eco-system,” said Swart.
“Furthermore, we encourage our peer schools and/or neighbouring businesses to replicate this existing model where we have seen a positive return on investment.”
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