Rate My Professor Andy Laing

Andy Laing serves as Team Leader of Campus Services (Grounds) in the Property Services Division at the University of Otago's Dunedin campus. His team is responsible for a wide array of outdoor maintenance tasks that ensure the campus remains safe, accessible, and visually appealing for students, staff, and visitors. These duties encompass gardening, composting, tree maintenance, hedge trimming, lawn mowing and maintenance, litter pick-up, paving, pressure washing, annual flower replacements, landscaping, de-icing footpaths during winter, winter leaf drop collection, vandalism cleanups, planting, street sweeping, surfacing maintenance, and proactive mitigation of slips and trips hazards. In 2018, as Acting Grounds Foreman, Laing highlighted the challenges of winter weather, noting that despite spraying approximately 3,000 litres of de-icing formula, complete hazard elimination is impossible, urging the community to report potential risks. His leadership has evolved through roles such as Gardening and Grounds Foreman, contributing to projects like garden beds in collaborative sustainability gardens on campus.

Laing has driven significant sustainability initiatives within his department. In 2020, he spearheaded the adoption of electric equipment, including the Mean Green electric Stalker stand-on mower, which reduces pollution equivalent to 140 new cars annually, lowers operational costs by about $7 per hour through battery power and fewer parts, and operates at a quieter 76 decibels compared to petrol and diesel alternatives. He targets a 50-50 split for ride-on mowers, 75% battery-powered push mowers, and expanded electric hedge and line trimmers, prioritizing central campus areas to minimize noise and emissions. Additionally, Laing oversees an efficient composting system where garden waste is broken down by worms, insects, and micro-organisms into organic humus, with piles reaching 70 degrees Celsius internally and turned monthly by a JCB loader, previously reducing truck collection time from up to four hours. In recognition of these safety and wellbeing efforts, his Grounds Team received the 2024 Health, Safety and Wellbeing Award. Laing's work exemplifies dedication to environmental stewardship and operational excellence in campus facilities management.