Wooster Joins U.N. Billion Tree Campaign

College has planted more than 120 trees in past two years

WOOSTER, Dec. 11– The College of Wooster has joined the United Nations’ Billion Tree Campaign, a global initiative to combat deforestation and raise awareness of issues related to climate change by planting at least one billion trees per year worldwide. Over the past two years, the college has planted more than 120 trees, which have now been added to the campaign’s on-line registry.

The Billion Tree Campaign was inspired by the work of Wangari Maathai, founder of Kenya’s Greenbelt Movement, which has been responsible for planting more than 40 million trees in 32 years. Maathai, who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, spoke on campus in September, as part of the college’s Wooster Forum series.

The trees the college has added to the Billion Tree Campaign registry include those planted around Gault Manor, new trees along both sides of Beall Avenue, replacements for those damaged in storms, donated and memorial trees, and the two trees given by the graduating classes of 2008 and 2009.  As more trees are planted in coming years, they too will be added to the registry.

Since the U.N. campaign was launched in 2006, more than seven billion trees have been planted in 167 countries.

The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes mentored, independent research. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 1,800 students.