In the spirit of our “Green Gridirons” series (but just in case college football wasn’t your thing), the “Big Ten’s Eco Efforts” series highlights creative off-the-field sustainability efforts.
The University of Nebraska is capitalizing on their state’s rich history of planting trees. Photo: University of Nebraska
Nebraska is the only state in the country that recognizes the last Friday in April as a civic holiday known as Arbor Day. Every year, businesses across the “The Tree Planter State” close down to allow folks to do just that–plant trees.
The campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been marking the holiday for 40 years with a tree planting ceremony on campus where hundreds of trees are planted by students and faculty.
The ceremony is part of Focus Nebraska, a week-long event that promotes environmental sustainability, awareness, engagement and activism, said Richard Sutton, professor of agronomy, horticulture and landscape architecture.
“We take pride in the fact our campus is recognized every year by the National Arbor Day
Foundation as part of Tree Campus USA,” said Sutton, who also heads the school’s Campus Tree Committee.
Campuses are recognized as a Tree Campus when they have an advisory committee to manage trees, a care plan, finances for the tree program, annual Arbor Day observance and engagement of the student population, said Sutton.
“The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was one of the first universities in the nation to earn this recognition,” Sutton said.
Landscape services at the campus maintain more than 9000 trees, 400 of which have been planted since 2008.