WHAT: Oak and elm trees rescued from the construction site of the soon-to-open South Texas Research Facility will be replanted around The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where they will serve as a symbol of the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Two oak trees will be replanted on Earth Day itself. In all, 13 trees ultimately will be salvaged.
In a separate event in Harlingen, the UT Health Science Center’s Regional Academic Health Center will mark Earth Day with a tree-planting of its own, as well as a celebration of campus recycling efforts.
WHEN: Earth Day: Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The San Antonio celebration starts at 1 p.m., while the Harlingen event begins at 9 a.m.
WHERE: In San Antonio, a stage will be set up beside the Double Helix sculpture near the entrance of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive. Both oak trees will be planted nearby.
In Harlingen, the tree-planting will take place at 9 a.m. behind the RAHC, 2102 Treasure Hills Blvd. Afterward, campus recycling efforts will be recognized in the Rotunda.
WHO: The replanting of the trees in San Antonio was conceived by the Student Sustainability Club, in partnership with Facilities Management.
The Harlingen effort is led by the RAHC’s staff-led recycling committee.
NOTES: San Antonio: Campus conservation groups will join Health Science Center administration in placing the first shovel of dirt on two salvaged trees. Others in attendance will be invited to help finish the planting.
At the event, the Health Science Center’s new “Green Initiative” Web site will be announced. The Web site will have information on how students, faculty and staff can “Go Green,” both at home and on campus. Already, the campus has expanded its recycling program, added incentives to encourage double-sided printing, and replaced aging laboratory and computer equipment with energy-efficient models.
Harlingen: After the tree-planting, the Harlingen Proud volunteer organization will present the RAHC with a certificate honoring its recycling efforts. The RAHC took steps to expand its recycling program last fall and recently gained the assistance of the Harlingen Recycling Center.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 25,600 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.