Oakton Community College is fortunate to have a campus in Des Plaines, Illinois that includes 50 acres of undeveloped woodlands and wetlands. For the last 15 years faculty, staff and students have worked together to restore those native areas, primarily by clearing the acreage of European buck thorn and other invasive flora. Thanks to a 2004 BP America Leader Award, Oakton was able to retain a botanical surveyor and, as a result, more than 295 native species were identified on campus. Two Illinois endangered species, the awn-less graceful sedge and the dwarf raspberry, have emerged. Other previously undetected plants, including swamp milkweed, wild coffee and Virgina rye, are flourishing. There is a profusion of wildflowers now that sunshine can reach the forest floor.

Oakton hosts season workdays that bring students, employees and community residents to campus to help with restoration efforts, which help to draw attention to Oakton's efforts and the important of restoring and preserving native habitats in urban areas.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "one acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out for tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the needs of eighteen people." Multiplied by 50, that truly is a breath of fresh air in the midst of the big box sprawl of suburban Chicago.

Oakton's Ecology Club recently installed an arboretum on campus. All 22 species of trees and 27 species of shrubs selected for the arboretum are native to northern Illinois. The plants are identified with markers, and additional education materials are being developed. A community-integrated approach was taken when the arboretum was installed. Oakton students, faculty, staff, retirees, Oakton's elected trustees, and even children enrolled in Oakton's Early Childhood Education program, were invited to help plant the trees and shrubs. Oakton's campus is open to the public, so local school children and even the general public, as well as Oakton students, will benefit from the learning opportunities the arboretum will afford.

These projects have increase awareness of current environmental issues throughout the Oakton community. In March 2007, Oakton's Board of Trustees adopted a strategic plan that included a green college initiative: "we will respect, conserve, and improve the environment through our academic offerings, learning opportunities and ecologically sound practices," thus ensuring that stewardship of our environment will be a priority at Oakton for years to come.