| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.20 |
| Liaison | Elaine Durr |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2024 |
Elon University
IN-49: Innovation C
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Elaine
Durr Senior Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Graduation Oak Saplings
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
Elon University graduating seniors have been given an oak sapling at the end of Commencement every year since 1992. In 2019, this tradition was expanded to graduate programs. In total, 41,913 saplings have been distributed since this tradition began. In 2000, the university started giving undergraduate students an acorn at New Student Convocation. These two traditions are a unique way to symbolize and remind students of their growth in their time at Elon. The saplings symbolize students’ growth at Elon and their continued development as lifelong learners, and it also ties to the university’s name which means “oak” in Hebrew.
Many students plant their saplings, whether it is in their own back yard, at their parents’ house or somewhere else. In 2018, Elon's Office of Alumni Engagement began mapping the sapling locations and encouraging alumni to submit their saplings’ locations. Alumni can request a replacement sapling should theirs die. In 2017, Elon created an international grove on campus for international students who are unable to take their saplings back to their home country. The international grove is a way for these students to mark their legacy on Elon’s campus. There are currently 108 trees planted in the international grove. Even when commencement was virtual in 2020, this tradition continued at the in-person commencement ceremony that was held on campus at a later date or through mailing saplings (by request). While the carbon sequestration value of these trees is unknown and does not impact Elon's greenhouse gas emissions inventory, this long-time tradition is certainly having a positive environmental impact that will endure as the saplings already planted continue to grow and more Elon graduates receive and plant their saplings.
Elon University Sapling Map: https://www.elon.edu/u/alumni/oak-trees/
Many students plant their saplings, whether it is in their own back yard, at their parents’ house or somewhere else. In 2018, Elon's Office of Alumni Engagement began mapping the sapling locations and encouraging alumni to submit their saplings’ locations. Alumni can request a replacement sapling should theirs die. In 2017, Elon created an international grove on campus for international students who are unable to take their saplings back to their home country. The international grove is a way for these students to mark their legacy on Elon’s campus. There are currently 108 trees planted in the international grove. Even when commencement was virtual in 2020, this tradition continued at the in-person commencement ceremony that was held on campus at a later date or through mailing saplings (by request). While the carbon sequestration value of these trees is unknown and does not impact Elon's greenhouse gas emissions inventory, this long-time tradition is certainly having a positive environmental impact that will endure as the saplings already planted continue to grow and more Elon graduates receive and plant their saplings.
Elon University Sapling Map: https://www.elon.edu/u/alumni/oak-trees/
Optional Fields
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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