Kalamazoo Valley Receives Tree Campus USA Designation

Kalamazoo Valley Community College has been honored with 2015 Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. Kalamazoo Valley Community College - achieved the title by meeting Tree Campus USA's five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning project. Currently there are 254 campuses across the United States with this recognition.

Kalamazoo Valley’s Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony was held on April 26. The activity was led by the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and included help from students, faculty, staff, and community members.

“Our Arbor Day ceremony gives us a day annually to reflect on the importance of being environmentally conscious and the positive impact trees make on our world,” said Dan Maley, Director of Facilities and Construction Management for Kalamazoo Valley. “Planting trees is a way of giving back and getting together as a community to celebrate the importance of our forests.”

Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation, praised the effort. "Participating in Tree Campus USA sets a fine example for other colleges and universities, while helping to create a healthier planet for us all," he said.

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities invested more than $36.8 million in campus forest management last year.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.