The Georgia Institute of Technology earned three out of a possible four stars from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation program. PGMS accreditation focuses on three categories: environmental stewardship, economic performance and social responsibilities.

“Georgia Tech takes great pride in its efforts to protect the environment and preserve our natural resources as a core value. Our Landscape Services team has demonstrated outstanding leadership in this area and it is very gratifying to see these stewardship efforts recognized via this accreditation,” said Operations and Maintenance Assistant Vice President, Mark Demyanek. 

Hyacinth Ide, Georgia Tech’s associate director of Landscape Services and Vehicle Management, managed the extensive application submission and received the honor on behalf of the school.

The PGMS Landscape Management and Operations Accreditation program is a dynamic evaluation tool used by facilities and organizations that have a landscape services or grounds component. Through peer expertise, the program evaluates strategic grounds management principles and practices that produce and guide the delivery of properties to an attractive, sustainable and healthy state.

This makes Georgia Tech only the fourth higher education institution in the country to have attained this rigorous accreditation for applying an integrated environmental management systems approach to their landscape management and operations.