Members of the Kent State University community plant a
tree to commemorate Arbor Day and to celebrate the
winners of this year’s RecycleMania competition.

Kent State University faculty, staff and students came together between residence halls Stopher and Johnson on April 21 for the annual Tree Planting Ceremony to commemorate Arbor Day and to celebrate the winners of this year’s RecycleMania competition.

In the residence hall challenge, Engleman Hall received the first place plaque, $200 and a hall council party for the fifth consecutive year. Stopher and Johnson Halls earned second place in the hall versus hall competition.

Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager for Kent State, says that everyone on the Kent Campus participates in RecycleMania, even if they are not making a conscious decision to increase their recycling or reduce their waste.

“Each one of us is a part of a team and our performance matters,” says Knowles. “We all have opportunities daily to reduce, reuse and recycle, and it always matters, even if it’s not during RecycleMania.”

Twenty-six students participated in this year’s Tree Planting Ceremony, which marks the conclusion of RecycleMania. At the ceremony, Kent State also was recognized for earning the Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for the seventh year in a row. Tree Campus USA and the Arbor Day Foundation honors colleges and universities that show their commitment to environmentalism and sustainability.

The ceremony was part of Kent State’s celebration of Earth Month. Earth Month is celebrated nationally to bring awareness to the care of Earth and includes activities that benefit Earth.

“The Earth Month celebration gives us the opportunity to understand our important relationship with the environment,” says Knowles.

For more information about RecycleMania, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/recyclemania.cfm.

For more information about sustainability at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.