Fifty-three trees will be planted at two parking lots and Wilson Park at Cal State San Bernardino starting Friday, April 21, to increase shading and reduce the heat associated with paved parking lots.
The planting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in Wilson Park and lots G and H with the help of student volunteers. Funding for the tree planting project is provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as part of the California Climate Investments Program.
Facilities Management, which received the funding for the project, Associated Students, Inc., the Santos Manuel Student Union, the Water Resources Institute and Parking Services are working together to provide an educational and community service opportunity to plant the trees.
The grant, which is administered through the non-profit Incredible Edible Community Garden and Cal Fire, is designed to improve the urban forest in San Bernardino County. The grant is made possible by California Assembly Bill 32, which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Greenhouse gas emission reduction is associated with the planting of these trees and will be monitored for the next three years.
The tree planting is part of number of events on campus for Sustainability Week that includes an open house from 9 a.m. to noon also on Friday at the CSUSB Water Resources Institute’s Conservation Demonstration Garden behind the Physical Education Building and across from the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
The Water Conservation Demonstration Garden has been a special addition to the university campus, creating a relaxing atmosphere where students can stroll after exams, faculty can showcase a beautiful aspect of the campus, and campus members and residents from the surrounding communities can come to engage and learn more about water conservation.
The garden has been home to rotating art displays, funded by the Water Resources Institute, as well as educational programs such as monthly garden workshops sponsored by Inland Empire Resource Conservation District.
The garden’s irrigation system was recently redesigned and replaced as part of the garden’s revitalization and remodeling, which included new identification signs for plants to assist homeowners with landscape planning. In order for the garden and its extensive collection of drought resistant plants to thrive, CSUSB landscape maintenance crews have been specially trained in sustaining the garden.
'Facilities Management has been working closely with the Water Resource Institute to improve the garden so that it continues to be an asset to the campus and the larger community,' said Jenny Sorenson, the director of Facilities Management.
Other sustainability events on campus include: a green tailgate party at the Coyote softball fields on Friday, April 21, from noon to 3 p.m.; and a Housing Sustainability Summit at University Village on Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit the CSUSB Facilities Management website and the WRI website.
For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.