CEDAR RAPIDS — Kirkwood Community College was given the 2024 Tree Campus USA Award at the Annual Community Forestry Awards Luncheon in Ankeny on April 3. The college is one of only 10 Tree Campus USA award winners in the state.
This is the 14th consecutive year that Kirkwood has received the honor, which is presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. To receive the award, a campus must, at a minimum, have a campus Tree Advisory Committee, a tree care plan, a tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, an annual Arbor Day observance, and a service-learning project to engage the student body.
Kirkwood Grounds Director Brett Eilers says the college takes pride in its work with trees on campus and it’s an honor to receive the award once again.
“The Kirkwood Grounds Department is very proud to receive the Tree Campus Higher Education award again in 2024,” said Eilers. “It takes hard work and dedication from everyone involved to achieve this goal every year. I’m personally grateful to work at an institution that believes in dedicating time and resources to reach the Tree Campus USA designation.”
To State Forester Jeff Goerndt, Kirkwood is setting a great example for other institutions to follow.
“The Tree Campus USA Higher Education award is a symbol for universities and colleges who continually strive to educate and engage their students and surrounding community about the benefits of trees and exhibit excellence in their tree management,” said Goerndt.
“Kirkwood has provided an outstanding example for other Iowa colleges and universities, by
enhancing our forest resources and demonstrating the great value of trees in providing multiple benefits for future generations.”
Kirkwood’s dedication to planting and caring for trees on campus is just one part of the institution’s sustainability efforts on campus. The college recently completed a multi-year climate action plan which set a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040. To achieve this goal, the plan includes recommendations for using other renewable energy options, along with the numerous strategies already in place at the college.
For more information about the institution’s climate action plan, as well as its current sustainable initiatives, go to www.kirkwood.edu/sustainability.
With more than 140 majors and programs, Kirkwood Community College boasts 16,000 annual college-credit students, while maintaining one of the lowest tuitions in the state. All degree-seeking students are eligible for federal financial aid and the college offers more than $3 million in scholarships each year to students from all walks of life. Kirkwood is a convenient, innovative and visionary educational leader that strives to remain affordable and accessible.