SVEC Arboretum Hopes To Provide Opportunities For Community
May 04, 2022
SVEC Arboretum Hopes To Provide Opportunities For Community
A thing that Mika Sorrels, 12, will never see is a poem as lovely as a tree.
On a sunny, clear Friday afternoon, Sorrels read a poem to a group of people at the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative's sustainable future arboretum dedication ceremony off of Oakwood Drive in Harrisonburg.
"Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree," she said.
The arboretum was established in 2020 at SVEC’s Rockingham headquarters, and officials hope it serves as an educational space with its examples of environmental sustainability and renewable energy. At 3.5 acres, the space boasts a wide array of trees, flowers and solar arrays.
"It really embodies the best management practices out there, that goes to the new environmental things that we'd like to accomplish, as well as energy efficiency," said Greg Rogers, CEO of SVEC. "So it's a very important microcosm to really help teach our members about those kinds of things, and how the cooperative interacts with that."
Rogers said the creation and purpose of the space is to provide a long-term service to SVEC members and the community, as well as a place of reflection for people to enjoy the park-like area.
"In the coming years, we hope the arboretum will evolve, and also serve as a hub of education and continued practice to be able to show people how the ... electrical system and the environment [interact,]" he said.
Rogers thanked Scott Sorrels — Mika's father and SVEC's vegetation manager — for making the arboretum "become a reality," along with many other organizations who assisted in the creation of the arboretum, including Aerial Solutions, Xylem Tree Experts, Weed Control Inc., Reading Landscapes Inc. and the Virginia Department of Forestry.
"An unknown Greek philosopher once said that in order for society to be great, that the old men needed to plant trees that whose shade they would never be able to enjoy," Rogers said. "The parallel between that, and what we're trying to do here, is that this facility creates a knowledge base and shows how the future of both the electric system and the environment can coexist and really provide the people what they need in a good [environment.]"
Del. Chris Runion, R-Bridgewater, said he was "more than impressed" with the space when he and his wife took their dog for a walk around the arboretum Thursday night.
"What I saw was fantastic," he said. "I see that educational component, that [Rogers] talked about, that's going to make a difference for kids that aren't even born yet. Or adults, that live here and don't think about what it takes for us to have the lifestyle that we have, because we know we can depend on you folks to provide energy for our businesses, or homes, or farms."
- By KELLEN STEPLER Daily News-Record
- Apr 29, 2022 Updated Apr 29, 2022
On a sunny, clear Friday afternoon, Sorrels read a poem to a group of people at the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative's sustainable future arboretum dedication ceremony off of Oakwood Drive in Harrisonburg.
"Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree," she said.
The arboretum was established in 2020 at SVEC’s Rockingham headquarters, and officials hope it serves as an educational space with its examples of environmental sustainability and renewable energy. At 3.5 acres, the space boasts a wide array of trees, flowers and solar arrays.
"It really embodies the best management practices out there, that goes to the new environmental things that we'd like to accomplish, as well as energy efficiency," said Greg Rogers, CEO of SVEC. "So it's a very important microcosm to really help teach our members about those kinds of things, and how the cooperative interacts with that."
Rogers said the creation and purpose of the space is to provide a long-term service to SVEC members and the community, as well as a place of reflection for people to enjoy the park-like area.
"In the coming years, we hope the arboretum will evolve, and also serve as a hub of education and continued practice to be able to show people how the ... electrical system and the environment [interact,]" he said.
Rogers thanked Scott Sorrels — Mika's father and SVEC's vegetation manager — for making the arboretum "become a reality," along with many other organizations who assisted in the creation of the arboretum, including Aerial Solutions, Xylem Tree Experts, Weed Control Inc., Reading Landscapes Inc. and the Virginia Department of Forestry.
"An unknown Greek philosopher once said that in order for society to be great, that the old men needed to plant trees that whose shade they would never be able to enjoy," Rogers said. "The parallel between that, and what we're trying to do here, is that this facility creates a knowledge base and shows how the future of both the electric system and the environment can coexist and really provide the people what they need in a good [environment.]"
Del. Chris Runion, R-Bridgewater, said he was "more than impressed" with the space when he and his wife took their dog for a walk around the arboretum Thursday night.
"What I saw was fantastic," he said. "I see that educational component, that [Rogers] talked about, that's going to make a difference for kids that aren't even born yet. Or adults, that live here and don't think about what it takes for us to have the lifestyle that we have, because we know we can depend on you folks to provide energy for our businesses, or homes, or farms."
