April 22, 2017, all locations – American Institute students and staff joined people in 192 countries to promote awareness of environmentalism and take action to preserve natural resources as they marked the 47th annual Earth Day.

In honor of Earth Day, the Clifton, Toms River, & West Hartford campuses all planted trees. At Clifton, about 50 students wearing Earth-day green planted a white cherry blossom tree alongside the pink cherry blossom they planted last year. Toms River students also planted a cherry tree.

“The students were excited to get to dig in the dirt. We were all like little children,” said Sherry Muse, Assistant Campus President for the Clifton, NJ location. “I loved the joy on their faces. It was priceless.”

“About 30 future graduates took part in the tree planting. They were very eager and excited to participate,” said West Hartford, CT Campus President Tim Bush. “It is only by working together that we will positively impact our world, and in that spirit, for #EarthDay2017 we invited our neighbors at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post to join us in planting a Japanese Cherry tree near the picnic tables between our two buildings.”

Another key message focused on recycling. Blue bins distributed on American Institute campus encouraged recycling of paper, cans and plastics. “We promote our program by leading by example,” said Mr. Bush. “The staff does a great job of recycling. Our goal is to leave a small foot print on the space we occupy and in our community.”

Taking part in Earth Day is one of many ways American Institute encourages students to get involved in their communities. Service to others is a core value at American Institute, and events like this provide students with an opportunity to contribute positively to their campus and the community.

“As the new campus president, I felt especially proud to take part in such a significant event. Activities like this build a great bond between the future graduates and the staff,” said Mr. Bush. “One of the future graduates told me that – in addition to his education – a major reason he was on campus that Friday was to help plant the tree. He said it was important to him to ‘do his part in creating a healthier world for us all.’”