Shippensburg University students made a difference last week by partaking in a multitude of events strung together in what SU environmental enthusiasts called StewardSHIP week. 

Students gathered at Eichelberger Farm on Folgersonger Road with geography and earth science professor Sean Cornell to plant stream buffers for a local SU alumnus.

Nick Eichelberger and his family own a farm less than a mile away from campus. Now, this has become the site of study for the environmental studies programs where students can get hands-on experience and partake in service learning projects. 

The goal of the project is part of a plan funded by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. All materials were donated by the foundation with the expectation that students would be able to use this as a learning experience and finish the project. 

In the end, it is hoped to have 10,000 new trees planted locally within the upcoming year. On April 19, Cornell and his students planted between 240 and 260 trees. 

“In order for us to be sustainable for our future population, we need to get the Co2 back into the ground,” Cornell said. 

Though this event was specifically in celebration of Earth Day, this was also a project that will serve the community for years to come, according to Cornell. 

“These trees will provide needs for us and protect the water,” Cornell said. 

Eichelberger allowed the planting of fruit and nut trees. This means in eight to 10 years, the resources will be available for harvest. 

“The produce from these trees will be donated to Ship produce and outreach centers, and the money made from them will be put back into programs for students just like this one,” Cornell said. 

SU staff, faculty and students have worked hard to make this campus “green,” and it is programs like this one that ensure it keeps moving in a positive direction toward making a difference, Cornell said. 

“We may be one drop, but together it’s an ocean.”

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