Sustainability and Stewardship

Tree Campus Designation

Sustainability and Stewardship

Quinnipiac is one of four in Connecticut recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus, alongside approximately 400 other universities across the country. An Arbor Day Foundation program, this distinction recognizes colleges and universities for their leaders who are promoting healthy trees and engaging the community in stewardship.

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About our Designation

To obtain the Tree Campus designation, Quinnipiac meets the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education.

These standards include:

The establishment of a tree advisory committee
Evidence of a campus tree-care plan
Dedicated annual expenditures for a campus tree program
An annual Arbor Day observance
Sponsorship of student service learning projects.

Quinnipiac is proud of this achievement and pledges a sustained commitment to environmental stewardship.

Goals for Quinnipiac as a Tree Campus

Some of the goals of the Tree Campus Higher Education initiative are:

Reducing the amount of energy our campus and community generates.
Planting more trees to help absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which will help mitigate the effects of climate change.
Improving mental health benefits for students and employees, and encouraging physical activity.
Assist in providing tree-related service-learning projects for students to help educate the next generation about the importance of caring for the environment.

Arbor Day

Quinnipiac celebrates Arbor Day annually with activites such as students, faculty and staff planting trees and listening to guest speakers.

Two Quinnipiac students kneeling in dirt smiling — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day volunteer wheeling gravel in a wheelbarrow — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day volunteers kneel and plant shrubs — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day volunteer places painted rocks along garden bank — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac student weeding to prep planting greenery — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day volunteer painting rocks — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day student wearing gloves to weed — April 26, 2024

Quinnipiac Arbor Day volunteer paints rocks for garden — April 26, 2024

Students use hand shovels to plant — April 28, 2023

Students plant and remove debris or rocks — April 28, 2023

Students burying roots of tree — April 28, 2023

Students and community trying to prop up the tree — April 28, 2023

Tree dedicated to "In loving memory of Jack M. Schultz. 1943 -2023"

Senior ties tree to a post to prop it up

Student paints a Quinnipiac "Q'" on a rock

Take the Tree Campus Walk

At the beginning of the walk, you will pass the new Recreation and Wellness Center. Constructed with an eye toward global stewardship and preserving the planet, RecWell is recognized by U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Building. One of the highlights is the native plant rain garden on the south side of the building. As part of its commitment to sustainability, Quinnipiac is establishing a goal of 75% native tree species of new plantings on the Mount Carmel Campus by 2035. This will be accomplished by prioritizing native species when replacing a tree and implementing new landscaping.

At the end of the walk, stop by the native pollinator garden at the Albert Schweitzer Institute (ASI). The pollinator garden contains eight, themed beds hosting 200 varieties of native plants or native cultivars. In addition to increasing the area’s biodiversity with native pollinators, the garden also serves as an outdoor space for scholarship and meditation.

The Tree Campus Walk features 16 points of interest along the way, including:

Norway Maple
Red Maple
Eastern White Pine
Arborvitae/White Cedar
White Birch
Pin Oak
Cherry Plum
Norway Spruce

Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Cottonwood
Shagbark Hickory
Bradford Pear
Black Oak
Red Cedar
Sugar Maple
Pollinator garden at the Albert Schweitzer Institute (ASI)

Take the Tree Walk on explore.qu.edu

Sustainability-Focused Majors

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Sunrise over the Rocky Top Student Center

Our Approach to Sustainability

We envision a Quinnipiac that is a model for sustainability in Southern New England, building its practices and leveraging its campuses to promote a healthy regional ecosystem, and to engage in practices that equip current and future students, faculty and staff to embody sustainable practices in their personal and professional lives, equipping them to thrive in a world increasingly influenced and affected by environmental disruption.

Learn more about our approach to sustainability

Three students talk next to a table with small pots and seed packets during the Earth Day celebration at Quinnipiac

Students for Environmental Action

Students for Environmental Action (SEA) is a club committed to promoting environmental stewardship at Quinnipiac and in the broader community. Past events include World Environment Health Day and fundraising for the Coral Sea Alliance. If you are interested in participating in sustainability initiatives around campus with a group of like-minded environmentalists, consider joining SEA.

Learn more about SEA

Two people talk at world summit day at the ASI table.

Albert Schweitzer Institute

The Albert Schweitzer Institute conducts programs that link education, ethics and voluntarism for the sake of creating a more peaceful and sustainable world. A dynamic presence at Quinnipiac, the institute has drawn notable humanitarians both to campus and to its board, and gives students of all majors opportunities to make a positive impact on local and global communities.

Learn how to get involved with ASI