Nearly 700 trees will be planted this week on the University of Guelph campus to ensure a greener campus for students, staff and visitors to enjoy.

The new trees will help to offset the carbon emissions associated with construction of the new Gordon S. Lang Plaza in front of the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics.

They will be planted in an area between Lambton Hall student residence and Cutten Fields that currently contains only grass. Naturalizing the area will help reduce mowing maintenance while enhancing biodiversity.

The daylong tree-planting event will take place on Sept. 29 and the opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m.

The event is sponsored by the Lang School in collaboration with the U of G Sustainability Office and the national charity Trees for Life,  which supports community tree-planting initiatives.

The opening ceremony will feature remarks from Canadian gardening expert and Trees for Life founder and president Mark Cullen. Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner and Greg Bauer, associate dean of strategic partnerships at Lang, will also speak.

Volunteer U of G students, staff and supporters will plant the native trees in several sessions throughout the day. The Lang Plaza officially opened outside Macdonald Hall earlier this month. The 3,400-square-metre plaza features seating areas, a fire pit, a bio-infiltration garden and a water fountain named for former dean Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes.

Media who would like to attend the opening ceremony are asked to RSVP.

Contact:

Scott Carter, communications manager
Lang School Dean’s Office
scarte09@uoguelph.ca