University of Redlands named Tree Campus
Ed Castro, Staff Writer
The Sun
REDLANDS – The University of Redlands received nationwide recognition for embracing five standards that focused on campus tree care and community involvement.
For its efforts, U of R earned Tree Campus USA recognition for the third straight year for its dedication to forestry management and environmental stewardship, according to the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation.
The five standards included: establishment of a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
A photographic Campus Tree Tour of the university is available online and a map is also offered to guide visitors during a trip on campus.
“Students throughout the country are passionate about sustainability and community improvement, which makes the University of Redlands’ emphasis on well-maintained and healthy trees so important,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation.
The university’s tree advisory committee includes members from the Students for Environmental Action group, the Community Service Learning Office, professors in the environment studies and biology departments, facilities management employees, as well a member of the city Street Tree Committee.
The campus also produces a majority of its energy, as well as heating and cooling, with its on-site co-generation plant and plants its own sustainable vegetable garden.
In the university’s green residence hall, Merriam Hall, students can explore sustainable living. Its newest buildings, the Center for the Arts complex, recently received gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for its environmentally friendly features, and the Lewis Hall for Environmental Studies is a silver LEED-certified green building.
Tree Campus USA is a national program that honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy management of their campus forests and for engaging the community in environmental stewardship.