Members of the UI campus community gathered on Thursday, June 7, 2007, to assist Andy Dahl, the UI arborist, and groundskeepers plant a portion of the 300 trees being installed on campus this spring.  Students, faculty and staff, representing UI Student Government, UI Environmental Coalition, UI Civic Engagement, UI Foundation and UI International Programs Environmental Committee helped install eight flowering crab trees on the Arts Campus near Voxman Music Building.  Each tree can potentially offset 1½ tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 100 years, in exchange for producing producing oxygen.  Trees take in carbon dioxide as part of photosynthesis and store the carbon.

(left to right): Janet Walker, Lori Eiserman, Kristin Beckman and Barrett Anderson

A variety of maples, hackberry, shingle oak, white pines and honey locust will be planted around campus to replace some of the trees removed after the tornado, and to add to the UI's inventory of trees.

Barrett Anderson, President, UISG and Belinda Marner, AVP, Student Services work together to plant a tree Thursday, June 5, 2007.	(left to right): Andy Dahl, UI arborist, and Alan Allgood, tree trimmer, help the UI groups prepare to plant a tree.

(left to right): Lori Eiserman, Kristin Beckman, Mary Mathew Wilson, Julia Mantey, Mike Rhinehart
Barrett Anderson, Janet Walker, Susan Murty, and Jenna Hammerich

The group also took turns riding in a new electric
utility vehicle being tested and considered for use by Facilities Management to replace some of the combustion vehicles on campus.  The GEM car, manufactured by Global Electric Motorcars, a Daimler-Chrysler corporation, is quick and quiet, reducing the use of gasoline and noise pollution on campus.