The 25th annual Replant Day will be held Saturday Oct. 15 and is set to be one of the largest Replant days in five years.
Students can sign up with an organization or alone by Wednesday, Oct. 12 to be placed into a committee that will help plant trees around the Bryan-College Station community.
Michael Gooris, genetics junior and Tree Team Executive for Aggie Replant said that the goal of Replant is towards reforestation and Replant Day volunteers can expect a fun day in the sun to help achieve that goal.
“We are going to be planting 476 trees around the Bryan- College Station area,” Gooris said. “We’re looking to get near 600 volunteers to help us with that and they can expect a wide range of planting areas as well as number of trees to be planted.”
Gooris said the site sizes vary, the largest being an impressive 88 acres, but all of the sites have the common goal of increasing the amount of habitat available and the amount of energy conserved in the community.
“A lot of land in this area is currently under development and with that you have a significant loss of habitat. Our current goal is to counteract that loss of habitat and also create sustainable ecosystems around people’s homes and in people’s properties,” Gooris said. “Trees are often overlooked as a means of helping to conserve energy, but just planting a tree next to your house alone can cut down energy costs, increase property value and [have] numerous benefits that are often overlooked by contractors and property owners.”
Courtney Atkins, environmental studies junior and Publicity Executive of Aggie Replant, described the history of Aggie Replant and its roots at A&M.
“In 1991 someone named Scott Hantman was in the Environmental Issues committee and he noticed how the Aggie Bonfire was creating a lot of deforestation in the area…he said ‘I really want to start this organization named Aggie Replant’ and so in 1991 that’s when they did the first Replant Day and after that it was made an SGA organization.”
Atkins said that at the core of Aggie Replant is a dedication to selfless service and she encourages all Aggies to look into volunteering.
“We really love to get Aggies involved. They’re helping the environment through the core value of selfless service. So it’s just all about giving back to the community and knowing that they’re truly making a difference that they can see.”
Olivia Olvera, Wildlife & Fisheries Science senior and Fundraising Executive for Aggie Replant, said that the growth of Replant has contributed to more than double the amount of trees and volunteers and has increased the tangible impact of Replant Day.
“We get to spend a lot of time doing outdoor things, being in the environment, and then really seeing that in our community,” Olvera said. “Since I’ve been in Replant I’ve been to the trees that I’ve helped organize and plant and know that I have made a lasting impact in our community that will be here long after I am.”