St. John’s University to Host 25th Annual ReLeaf Conference for New York State Three Day Workshop to Convene in Queens, July 13-15

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July 12, 2017

St. John’s, as part of their commitment as a Tree Campus USA member, will host the 25th Annual ReLeaf Conference at the University’s Queens Campus, July 13-15.

The motto of the conference is: “Strengthening Connections: Diversity in our Urban Forests.” Representatives from New York State will be in attendance for a myriad of workshops that speak to a greener and more efficient environment.

St. John’s Director of Environmental and Energy Conservation, Thomas Goldsmith, will give a walking tour of the university showcasing their tree arboretum, organic garden, composting tea station and tree mapping project on Friday, July 14.

“We maintain more than 3,000 trees that are spread out over 102 acres on our Queens campus, and there’s widespread participation from our student body in the cultivation of all of the environmental initiatives we undertake,” said Goldsmith. “This is proof positive that St. John’s has made a firm commitment in developing and growing its green space dating back to 2008, and we’re proud to host this prestigious event in partnering with the New York State Urban Forestry Council.”

The following representatives will give opening remarks to kickoff the conference schedule at 8:30am on Friday, July 14 in the D ‘Angelo Center.

  • David Moore, President, NYS Urban Forestry Council
  • Ken Scarlatelli, Natural Resources Supervisor, Region 2, Department of Environmental Conservation,
  • Vincent Sapienza, Acting Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
  • Dorothy Lewandowski, Queens Borough Commissioner, NYC Parks
  • Shola Olatoye, Chair & Chief Executive, NYC Housing Authority
  • Brian Baumer (on behalf of St. John’s President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw), Associate Vice President for Campus Facilities and Services, St. John’s University
  • Mary Kramarchyk, Moderator, Urban Forestry Program Director, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Below is the link to the NYS Urban Forestry Council website featuring the conference agenda, workshop speakers and a list of all activities for the weekend.

www.nysufc.org/

For more information contact St. John’s Office of Environmental and Energy Conservation by calling 718.990.8008 or e-mail inquiries to [email protected].