Did you know that UGA Extension offers a certification program for businesses and residences in Georgia? The goal of the program is to increase the use of sustainable green practices in Georgia landscapes which help protect and improve natural resources like water, wildlife, and native plants. In addition to receiving the official certification, participants can choose to purchase a yard sign to designate their property as a sustainably managed Georgia Landscape. This program is a simple, free process with a few key steps to complete.
As I mentioned, the GGLS certification is designed to provide educational resources about sustainability practices that can help protect natural resources, increase plant and animal biodiversity, conserve soil and water, increase wildlife and pollinator habitat, and improve public and environment health. In order to become certified, participants must review educational videos on different sustainability practices such as composting, invasive plants, mulching, biodiversity, stormwater management, pollinators, and others. The videos range in length from 15 minutes to an hour and are presented by expert UGA Extension staff. PDF files of the slide decks are also available for participants to use. Additional resources are also made available to participants such as key UGA Publications and connections to partnering organizations like the Great Georgia Pollinator Census.
After reviewing the educational videos and materials, program participants are asked to evaluate their existing landscape and future plans using a sustainability scorecard. The goal of the program is for a participant to use the suggested action steps to improve the sustainability of their landscape. For each educational area that was covered by the program, there are 4-10 different actions steps, each worth a varying level of points. Once a landscape accumulates 70 points or more, it can be submitted for certification as a sustainable landscape. Suggested action steps can be simple or complex- everything from “compost your yard waste” to “build a bio-swale or vegetated grass swale to move and infiltrate water on your landscape to prevent stormwater and erosion.” The use of these action steps will reduce invasive species, increase native plant, wildlife, and pollinators, reduce landfill waste and non-point source pollution, reduce pesticide use, protect water and soil health, and increase biodiversity for generations to come.
Once a landscape implements enough practices to receive a sustainability score of 70, the landowner is asked to email or mail the completed form to the UGA GGLS coordinator based in Camden County, Georgia. The GGLS program is hoping to expand this year with an option to certify small homesteads and farms on sustainable agricultural practices. If you are interested in getting certified or would like more information, please let us know at uge3181@uga.edu or 706-359-3233.
