Throughout the year, the Office for Sustainability coordinates several initiatives to make Case Western Reserve University more “green.” From recycling competitions to investments in sustainable energy, the university has taken different approaches to reaching the university’s goal of being climate neutral. In honor of Earth Month, throughout April we will highlight some of the university’s sustainability efforts.
Case Western Reserve University is a “green” campus not only in its sustainable practices, but also in the foliage that surrounds campus. For the 2017 calendar year, the Case Western Reserve campus was Arbor Day Tree Campus USA certified.
The Arbor Day Foundation bestows the designation after a certain set of criteria has been achieved. Two student Sustainability Ambassadors spearheaded the initiative to guide the university through such criteria as: forming a Tree Committee, drafting a campus tree care plan and holding two events.
The students worked closely with the facilities department throughout the process.
Each year, the university must submit an application and go through a certification process to maintain the designation.
Case Western Reserve’s impact also extends beyond campus and can be seen around the world through PrintReleaf, which measures the university’s paper consumption, determines the impact on forests and plants trees to reduce the university’s paper footprint.
From the project’s launch in August through February, 1,124,499 pages were printed through the wēpa print network on campus, and in turn, 135 trees were reforested in such places as Madagascar, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Ireland.
Want to learn more about trees on campus and in Cleveland? Attend the Office for Sustainability’s “Treenote: Soils, Canopies and Climate” event Wednesday, April 11, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Tinkham Veale University Center, Ballroom B. Hear about the sustainability story of the Nord Family Greenway, organic grounds care, the Cleveland Tree Plan and more.
Registration is available online.