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News Release

Last modified: Friday, April 30, 2010

IU students, volunteers, plant trees to celebrate Tree Campus USA success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- To celebrate the impact Tree Campus USA is having on college campuses across the United States in its second year, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota teamed up today (April 30) with students and volunteers from Indiana University Bloomington to plant trees on the school's campus.

IU was one of 74 schools that earned Tree Campus USA recognition in 2009. The Arbor Day Foundation began Tree Campus USA in the fall of 2008 to recognize colleges and universities that practice sound campus forestry. The aim of the program is to honor college campuses and the leaders of surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.

Since its inception, Tree Campus USA has been supported by $1.3 million in grants from Toyota.

The impact Tree Campus USA had more than doubled during its second year. In its inaugural year, 29 colleges and universities received Tree Campus USA honors. To celebrate the success of the program, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota are holding tree-planting events on five college campuses this spring. In addition to Indiana University, Tree Campus USA tree-planting events will also be held at American University; the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

During the event, IU students and volunteers in the community planted more than 50 trees as part of the campus Arbor Day Celebration. Trees were planted near the DeVault Alumni Center, which is located near Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall. The trees will help increase the campus's tree canopy and will provide shade for students and visitors.

"We applaud Indiana University's commitment to improving the urban forest on its campus, and for demonstrating to students why it is so important to plant trees," said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation. "By striving to follow best tree-care practices and encouraging students to plant trees on campus, Indiana University is helping the next generation learn first-hand the importance of giving back to the earth."

In order to become a Tree Campus USA community, schools are required to meet five core standards of tree care and community engagement. Those standards are: Establishing a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

"Today's tree planting took place in an area that has been designated as the 'Woodland Arboretum' in the 2009 IU Bloomington Campus Master Plan, and initiates the implementation process of increasing the campus tree canopy cover from 20- to 40-percent over the lifetime of the plan which is estimated to be 10 years," said Mia Williams, Indiana University landscape architect.

More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of more than one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs nearly 34,000 in the U.S. and our investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit www.toyota.com/community.

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