Punahou is one of 70 schools across the nation, and the first in Hawai‘i, to earn the Arbor Day Foundation’s designation as a “Tree Campus K – 12” for its trees and nature-based education.
Recent graduate Anna Lerner ’22 can take a “bough” for her efforts. She was instrumental in Punahou earning this recognization by leading the multi-year application process to meet the nonprofit’s Tree Campus program goals.
Lerner and her “Tree Campus” team of fellow students and faculty organized tree plantings, celebrated Arbor Day with a campus tree tour, and engaged students in hands-on activities highlighting trees’ local and global benefits.
Branching out in the community, the avid tree advocate also penned an editorial column in the Star-Advertiser on trees’ role in countering climate change and, alongside Punahou’s Sustainability Club, was responsible for Governor Ige proclaiming April 2021 as Tree Awareness Month.
