Tree Campus

GAMBIER, Ohio (February 20, 2013)

The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Kenyon College as a Tree Campus USA.

The honor is achieved by meeting foundation standards for sustainable campus forestry, including a tree-advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated spending on the tree program, sponsorship of student service-learning projects, and observance of Arbor Day.

"The College has been doing all the right things to meet the criteria, and now we have the status to recognize all the effort and work that we do," Sustainability Director Ed Neal said. "We have thousands of trees. Trees are such a valuable asset for us."

Among those trees, 730 in the main campus are monitored in a health-care data base. Kenyon has a written, tree-care plan and dedicates a grounds person full time to tree maintenance. The annual Middle Path Day observance in the spring includes a student-learning project on planting trees, spreading mulch, planting flower bulbs and clearing brush and trash. Compost generated by the Peirce Hall dining program is used on new plantings.

"It's nice to be recognized for something we have been doing all along," Neal said. "This gets the message out that we're doing the right thing. Trees are the lifeblood of the country. They're a renewable resource. They provide most of the fresh oxygen we have. They help our environment because they're really good at removing pollution."

Tree Campus USA was created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities, and about 150 institutions have earned the distinction. "Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for all of us," said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization headquartered in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Tree Campus USA is supported by Toyota.