News Releases
April 3, 2013
For Immediate Release
For additional information:
Jennifer Kirby
Clark College Communications and Marketing
Telephone: 360-992-2219
Email: jkirby@clark.edu
Three years of making Vancouver a greener community – one tree at a time
On Wednesday, April 10, Clark College will celebrate Arbor Day
and its third consecutive Tree Campus USA designation
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Arbor Day Foundation has named Clark College a Tree Campus USA for the third consecutive year.
Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forestry management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Clark College achieved the designation by meeting the required five core standards for sustainable campus forestry: a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.
In 2012, as part of its ongoing commitment to its college tree program, Clark College students, faculty, and staff partnered with Vancouver Urban Forestry and members of Friends of Trees to add several new trees to its campus, which sits on an 80-acre arboretum in the city's historic Central Park.
Clark College President Robert K. Knight said, “Visitors to our campus always remark on its natural beauty, especially this time of year when the cherry trees come into blossom. It’s through our partnerships in the community, and the dedication of our groundskeepers and staff whose hard work keeps our campus environment so beautiful, that we are able to achieve this well-deserved recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation.”
The achievement will be recognized on April 10 as part of the college’s Arbor Day celebration. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 10 a.m. on the south lawn of the Roy G. Andersen Educational Complex, familiarly known as the “T Building.”
Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. The T Building is on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way, across the street from Gaiser Hall and the Penguin Union Building. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.
Following a brief ceremony which includes the planting of a tree to commemorate the event, the college will receive a 2012 Tree Campus USA plaque presented by a representative from the Department of Natural Resources. It will be accepted by Clark College Vice President of Administrative Services Bob Williamson.
About the Tree Campus USA Program
Launched in 2008, the Tree Campus USA program has provided recognition to colleges and universities for their dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a generous grant from Toyota.
“Toyota is so proud to support a program that we believe has a tremendous impact on both reducing the environmental footprint of a college campus and inspiring college students to become the conservation leaders of the future,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of National Philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation.
“Students are eager to volunteer in their communities and become better stewards of the environment,” said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “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.”
The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant hundreds of thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities have invested more than $23 million in campus forest management last year. More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of one million members with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.
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