Earth Day was all blue skies this year, as UNC Asheville students, hands caked in dirt, gathered around Ashley Case alongside the glistening Reed Creek.
“The trees you planted today, they’ll be here hopefully for the next 100 years. Environmental solutions can be creative and fun,” said Case, lecturer in the environmental science department, and co-faculty advisor for the Student Environmental Center.
This project, aimed at restoring Reed Creek Greenway, was one of two Green Grant project winners this spring. The other project is working to reduce fatal bird-window collisions at UNC Asheville by applying stickers to Rhoades Robinson Hall, the Zeis Hall entry lower level, and the bus stop across from Zeis. This project is sponsored by the UNC Asheville Audubon chapter of the National Audubon Society.
Both projects are supported by the campus Student Environmental Center’s Green Grant Program. Any students, faculty or staff can apply to the program, and grants are awarded bi-annually to projects selected by the grant committee.
“Being a smaller university that is focused on the students getting their bachelor's degree is a pretty amazing thing,” said Case. “It's this awesome opportunity to build confidence and real-world professional skills for students to feel like not only are people listening, but people are helping fund this project that anyone feels passionate about.”
Reed Creek Greenway, a paved pathway that runs along W.T. Weaver Boulevard next to campus, is utilized greatly by students and the community.
The workday brought together underclassmen from across majors – from psychology to engineering. For hours, students planted over 25 native species of trees and unraveled non-native weeds choking Reed Creek Greenway. Greenworks, a local climate resilience nonprofit, donated the trees at a low price to help the students stay on budget.
Students gripped and removed handfuls of knotweed, kudzu and porcelain vine. Knotweed is one of the most invasive plants globally and greatly reduces the ability of an ecosystem to function. They learned the latest procedure for removing this, which needs to be cut back two times in the spring and early summer to fully deplete the carbohydrates in the root stock so that one herbicide treatment will remove the remainder of the plant.
By replacing the invasives with native species, the students helped increase food for wildlife and people, along with providing more biodiversity. Students planted “pawpaws, mulberries, elderberries, hazelnuts, persimmons and other non-edible but equally beneficial species for habitat and biodiversity,” according to the student-led project description.
“We hope our work will empower more students and the general community to participate in environmental restoration efforts by showing how community service can directly impact our environment,” wrote the students in the grant application.
This project is one of many Green Grant projects that serve the community today. Students have launched sustainable dining programs, constructed bike racks, reduced waste on campus, and created water refilling stations.
“Green Grants are really important to get students involved with sustainability and get projects done on campus. A lot of us now couldn't imagine living without the resources on campus Green Grants have funded,” said Angie Herbert, environmental studies major and Student Environmental Center co-director.
The Student Environmental Center, which funds the grants, is led and operated by student collaboration. Eco-reps help run the pop-up free store and sort donations to help reduce landfill waste and students' need for new items. The garden crew manages three on-campus gardens and grows organic produce, and all members collaborate with other campus organizations to host fun and impactful sustainability events.
Recently, student organizations hosted UNC Asheville’s bi-annual Greenfest, a series of free events celebrating the sustainability initiatives produced and promoted by students, faculty, staff and the community.
“It's more than just the SEC being a co-partner. It's getting the campus excited about sustainability and bringing them into the conversation,” said Herbert. “We’ve been connecting everyone so that we can keep the SEC alive and keep our goals consistent among each generation of students who work for us.”
UNC Asheville also placed 21st out of 97 participants this spring in an eight-week recycling competition, called Campus Race to Zero Waste. This amounted to 14 recycled pounds per person and the highest ranking in the Carolinas.
“We appreciate your waste reduction efforts and are excited to excel even higher in next year's Campus Race to Zero Waste competition. Let's shoot for number one,” said Raechel Peterson, environmental specialist for Campus Operations.
© 2026 UNC Asheville
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