HFC welcomes William Ford Elementary students to plant trees on Arbor Day

The Sustainable HFC Committee will celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 26, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. by planting trees on the north side of campus (near Building N on the main campus).

HFC Pre-Education Program Director Dr. Carolyn Casale is expecting 20 or more HFC students and team members to attend and plant trees under the guidance of Facilities. Two 4th-grade classes from William Ford Elementary School will help plant trees.

Afterward, HFC IEMP Coordinator Nicholas Paseiro and HFC Lab Associate Cynthia Morris will take the elementary students on a walking tour of the campus, including a stop at the Hammond Planetarium (Room J-102) in the Science Building (Building J on the main campus), with discussions of cool things about science.

“This creates a positive image of HFC working with our community,” said Casale. “This is part of the Sustainability Committee's ongoing emphasis on work in the community and involving the community in sustainable activities.”

Why do we plant trees?

Trees have innate value for their beauty and aesthetics. Trees also have practical value for the planet's ecosystem. Three main ways of mitigating the effects of human-induced climate change include:

• Reducing human input of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere (replace fossil fuels with renewables).
• Taking carbon dioxide and methane out of the atmosphere (carbon capture technologies).
• Adapting to worsening climate conditions (flood and fire control).

Trees have an important impact on climate change, pollution reduction, promoting biodiversity, reducing water runoff, and many other ecosystem advantages. The HFC community affirms and believes in the importance of trees for their ecosystem services, as well as their intrinsic beauty.

"Planting a tree is like adding a precious gem to our Mother Earth's necklace. The existence of it supports the sustainability of the biosphere,” said HFC biology instructor and chair of the Sustainable HFC Committee Dr. Mary Parekunnel.

History of Arbor Day with Michigan roots

Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton, who was born in New York in 1832 but moved with his family to Michigan in 1834. Morton was a journalist and a politician, most notably the 3rd United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1893-97, serving under President Grover Cleveland.

When he was 22, Morton and his family moved to Nebraska and planted trees, shrubs, and flowers on the prairie. Morton knew many people who came from places that had more trees than Nebraska did and missed being surrounded by them. Morton used his writing and speaking opportunities to advocate for what is now called environmental stewardship. He approached what is now the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development with a resolution to designate an annual day to plant trees statewide. April 10, 1872 was designated the first Arbor Day with an estimated 1 million trees planted. Arbor Day is celebrated annually on the final Friday of April.

The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1972 on the 100th anniversary of the first Arbor Day. It is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to planting frees. Since its inception, the Arbor Day Foundation has planted nearly 500 million trees. Its goal is to plant another 500 million by 2027.

Donate today to the Tree Fund

Members of HFC’s School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and the Sustainable HFC Committee recognized the need for more trees on campus and set up a Tree Fund. This fund establishes a process for the HFC community to donate to the HFC Foundation to have trees planted. It also establishes a process to make the tree plantings happen efficiently, following environmental best practices.

How much does it cost to plant a tree?

• A donation of $250 to $299 covers the average cost of one tree planting.
• A donation of $300 or more covers the average cost of one tree planting, as well as a donor plaque.
• Any donation less than $250 will support either a milestone tree planting when $250 is accumulated or materials necessary to offset the excess costs of other tree plantings.

To donate, visit the HFC Foundation. Please donate today Select your donation amount and the “Other” option, where you can write in “Tree Fund.”

You can also donate by mail. Please make your checks out to “The Henry Ford College Foundation” and include “Tree Fund” in the memo line. Mail the check to:

The Henry Ford College Foundation
Welcome Center
5101 Evergreen Rd.
Dearborn, MI 48128

For questions or more information about making a donation, contact the HFC Foundation at 313-317-6839. For questions or more information about Arbor Day or the Sustainable HFC Committee, contact greenideas@hfcc.edu.