Forty new trees were planted in the Arden Arcade area on Saturday with the help of Sacramento State’s Environmental Student Organization.

The tree planting was done by the Sacramento Tree Foundation with trees donated by SMUD. The goal was to beautify the neighborhood and create shade to reduce energy usage, said Steve Schweigerdt, neighborhood coordinator for the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

The trees planted were a mix of oak, maple and zelkova for their large, shading canopies.The tree planting operation is in its fourth year. The Sacramento Tree Foundation gets the word out to neighborhoods with fliers, articles in local publications and signs around the area. Residents can call to get a tree planted in their yard free of charge.

The foundation plants between 2,000 and 4,000 trees each year.

Sac State’s Environmental Student Organization helped plant trees in Esther Cassin’s yard. She is a new homeowner and said that she would probably not have planted any trees in the next year without this event because it was not high on her priority list. “I’m very grateful for the trees,” she said.

Sarah Soroken, a Sac State graduate student in the psychology, said she thinks it is very helpful for organizations to plant trees because it’s a lot of work for some homeowners.Soroken has only been a member of the Environmental Student Organization for two weeks and this was her first event.

She is planning to participate in others and said, “If you want to help the environment, this is the best club on campus to join.”

The organization has been around for some time but was recently reestablished by Kristin Jackson and Alicia Lampley. Lampley is a Sac State junior majoring in environmental studies and also serves as president of the Environmental Student Organization.

The organization’s purpose is “to help out within the community and promote environmental quality,” Lampley said.

This is accomplished by participating in off-campus volunteer events and on-campus educational and environmental awareness events.

The next off-campus event will be the Creek Week cleanup on April 17.The Environmental Student Organization also plans to help plant trees in a larger event similar to Saturday’s on October 30.

Schweigerdt said that about 450 trees will be planted during the October event.The Environmental Student Organization is growing and now has about 20 members, Lampley said. All majors are welcome, and most of the members’ majors have nothing to do with the environment.

Conor Depre-Neary, a Sac State student majoring in psychology, is in his first semester with the Environmental Student Organization. He said he joined because he has a strong commitment to the environment and the organization helps educate the campus on environmental issues.

To join the Environmental Student Organization, contact Alicia Lampley at [email protected].

For information about the Sacramento Tree Foundation, visit www.sactree.com.

Brandon Darnell can be reached at [email protected]