In an effort to promote sustainability on campus, Cal Poly participated in PayByPhone’s tree-planting campaign throughout December, according to Cal Poly’s Dec. 13 report. PayByPhone is available for all campus visitors to use when paying for parking on campus but is also a service provided elsewhere in California.
Their campaign worked with Eden Reforestation Projects, “a non-profit organization that work[s] to rebuild natural landscapes which have been destroyed by deforestation,” according to PayByPhone’s website.
For every 100 parking transactions made using their app, a tree was planted in Madagascar, with the goal of planting 5,000 trees, according to their website. They were able to surpass this goal, planting a total of 5,627 trees.
Cal Poly Corporation marketing manager Dawn Ventura called the campaign “a success,” largely because of the community participation.
“And that’s where our role as the marketing team comes into play,” Ventura said. “Because when we caught wind of this [campaign], we knew that the only way…we’re going to be able to make an impact [is] with the support of the campus community.”
She also said this campaign has sparked a conversation around hosting another campaign in the future, but this time to plant trees directly on Cal Poly’s campus.