Hundreds of students helped to celebrate Arbor Day in conjunction with Earth Day Spring Fling on April 19th, 2016, both of which were sponsored by the Office of Environmental Policy. The event showcased Speakers from the Connecticut Agricultural Experimentation Station, Connecticut DEEP, Planning, Architectural and Engineering Services and Facilities Operations, as well as the giant tree cake! Following up from last year, the Arbor Day Tree Cake special is starting to become an annual treat for UConn students in the spring.

Having won the Arbor Day Celebration contest last year, the Office of Environmental Policy has utilized tons of banners and signs to celebrate the momentous occasion of UConn being recognized as a Tree Campus USA. UConn’s Tree Campus USA designation recognizes the University for taking care of its trees and promoting forestry. Jonathan the Husky helped with the tree planting in front of the School of Business, which symbolized this tremendous recognition.

Office of Environmental Policy Interns Adrianna Antigiovanni and Chris Bruno read tree facts to the crowd as they enjoyed the tree cake, which consisted of red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla cake. In addition to the aforementioned speakers, Bee Inspector Mark Creighton from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Hannah Reichle, former UConn graduate and member of the Forest Division of CT DEEP, came to talk about their work. The event could not have been made possible without the help Eileen McHugh from Planning Architectural and Engineering Services, John Kehoe, Bill Bates and Greg Tormey from Facilities Operations, Christine Wilson from Student Activities, Dining Services, and volunteers from various student organizations.