The City of Virginia Beach is hosting an Arbor Day celebration on Friday, April 12, 2013 at College Park Elementary School, located at 1110 Bennington Road. Owing to its sustainability and energy saving features, including an integrated wetland rain garden as well as 10,000 square feet of green roof with roof top learning areas, College Park Elementary has earned a LEED platinum certification. This year, Virginia Beach will receive its 33rd consecutive “Tree City USA” Award from the Virginia Department of Forestry. The “Tree City USA” award identifies the city as a community that has a proven commitment to an ongoing community forestry program. The event will take place beginning at 10:00 am, and the public is invited to attend.
Representatives from the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Beautification Commission, Virginia Beach Master Gardener Tree Stewards, and third grade students from College Park Elementary School will also participate in the Arbor Day festivities. The Virginia Beach Council of Garden Clubs will host a reception after the ceremony. Virginia Beach residents are invited to attend the ceremony and to celebrate the “Tree City USA” award.
The 2013 Arbor Day celebration kicks off the City of Virginia Beach’s “50 Years for 50 Trees” planting initiative, in which 50 individual trees will be ceremoniously planted to mark the City’s 50th Anniversary, “50 Years of Living the Life in Virginia Beach.” The first tree celebrating this milestone will be planted at this event.
For more information about the Arbor Day celebration, or the City of Virginia Beach’s urban forestry program, please contact Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation’s Landscape Management Division at (757) 385-4461 or landscape@VBgov.com.
Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation’s vision is a balanced, sustainable and value-focused system of parks, recreation and public spaces that creates a sense of community. We are accredited by CAPRA, the certifying agency of the National Recreation and Park Association. For more information, call (757) 385-1100 (TTY: 757-711 Virginia Relay), visit VBgov.com/parks or sign up our email newsletters at VBgov.com/eNews. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/VBParksRec
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