Volunteers work to keep CBU green on Fall Arbor Day

Riverside, Calif. (Nov. 9, 2021) – More than 300 students, faculty, staff, and other volunteers participated in the 2021 Fall Arbor Day by planting 16 trees, caring for vegetation and helping with campus cleanup at California Baptist University on Nov. 6.

The Facilities and Planning Services at CBU and the Environmental Science Club organized the event. Volunteers worked in teams, planting trees and other vegetation, applying fertilizer and soil, and beautifying the campus. CBU participates in Arbor Day as a part of Tree Campus USA, a program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Dr. Bonjun Koo, professor of environmental science and advisor of the Environmental Science Club, said he hopes Arbor Day shifts students’ perspectives to a more environment-focused approach and allows students to better understand how they are intertwined with the environment.

“As Christians and stewards, we need to take care of God’s creatures,” Koo said. “Because of anthropogenic activities, we keep disrupting natural ecosystems and we keep losing biodiversity. By planting trees and flowers and cleaning up our environment, students can learn how important it is to get along with other organisms.”

Emmanuelle Evans, an art therapy senior, said she enjoyed attending the event because it allowed her to connect with other people through the process of planting.

“I think [my favorite part] is actually just touching the soil and being in contact with growing things,” Evans said. “The process of growing is a very laborious process and it isn’t instant. I think everything nowadays is so instant, so to be part of a slow-growth process and a journey [is great].”

This was the first Arbor Day event Brittany Livingstone, a health science sophomore, attended. She said planting trees allows students to take part in activities that can lessen the impact of humans on the environment.

“My favorite part would be showing people how just doing little things can change a big part of the ecosystem,” Livingstone said. “Just changing the soil can make a huge difference in what products come up.”

This semester’s Arbor Day was the first in-person Arbor Day since 2019. During the pandemic, students had the opportunity to participate in a virtual Arbor Day, during which they could plant a tree at home and upload photos or videos of their trees. Now that Arbor Day is back in person, Koo said he enjoys the community aspect of the event.

“All volunteers gather together, and we start with a prayer, and we explain how important it is to plant trees. That is my favorite part,” Koo said.