Native trees and shrubs provided through Intervale Center
Vermont Business Magazine The UVM Medical Center and Burlington’s Intervale Center are helping hospital employees celebrate Earth Day 2023 by providing them with free, Vermont-native trees and shrubs to plant in their gardens or home landscapes.
Volunteers will be handing out trees and shrubs today, on the Rooftop Lawn at UVM Medical Center’s Main Campus and in the Garden at Fanny Allen, said Diane Imrie, Director of Nutrition Services at the Medical Center and Chairperson of the hospital’s Sustainability Council.
This year, employees can choose between three native Vermont species: Aronia, Elderberry or Serviceberry. Each of the plants produces edible berries and are beneficial to pollinators, birds and wildlife, said Kiana French of the Intervale Center. The plants are also non-invasive and don’t compete with existing, native plant communities.
The focus not just on climate repair but ecological best-practices and sustainability is an intentional focus for this year’s Earth Day observances, said Imrie.
“We know that when we grow more trees, it’s great for the quality of our air and helps reduce carbon in our atmosphere,” said Imrie. “So it’s that commitment to carbon reduction and a healthy planet, while at the same time doing things that give food and shelter for birds, bees and wildlife.”
Last year, Imrie said, the hospital gave out more than 600 trees — again, all native species that produce edible fruit — to employees. This year, the Sustainability Council expects to give out as many as 900.
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high-quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter
Source: 4.28.2023. Burlington, Vt. – The UVM Medical Center
