HWS News
2 April 2024 • Alums • Sustainability Hiking for 101 Million Trees By Andrew Wickenden '09
On April 1, Art Dwight ’83 began hiking the 2,197-mile Appalachian Trail to raise funds to plant 101 million trees.
Through his journey across 14 states and 2,197 miles, Art Dwight ’83 hopes to sound the alarm about climate change and inspire others to change the world for the better. Partnering with the non-profit One Tree Planted, he has set a massive goal of raising funds to plant 101 million trees by the end of the hike.
A former U.S. Marine, Army infantry officer, marathoner and triathlete, Dwight first hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2018, going from Georgia to Maine in 133 days. This time, he’s aiming to do it in about 84, averaging “a marathon a day (26.2 miles) to highlight the extreme urgency required to address the climate crisis,” as he notes on his website. “I will turn 63 years old during the hike so this is a daunting challenge, but so is what we face with a rapidly warming planet.”
It was at HWS where Dwight learned “the importance of questioning everything to get to the truth” — “a gift that changed the entire trajectory of my life,” he says. “Indeed, my passion for self-discovery and for serving others and this incredible planet we live on was born at Hobart and William Smith.”
“a gift that changed the entire trajectory of my life. Indeed, my passion for self-discovery and for serving others and this incredible planet we live on was born at Hobart and William Smith.” Art Dwight ’83
Why 101 million trees? Dwight notes that trees, with their capacity to capture carbon, support habitats and promote biodiversity, offer an exceptionally powerful way to combat climate change. By rallying supporters from around the world, he hopes to build momentum around a common cause and demonstrate that “the solutions are available to us and it’s not too late if we start working and taking action together now.”
“A driving force behind my hike is to highlight all of the positive things that are happening around the world that are putting us on a path toward a clean energy future,” he says. “Throughout the hike, I will be sharing some of these success stories every day and offering ideas on the hundreds of things all of us can start doing, right now, to make a difference. I hope to be a little spark that inspires Hobart William Smith’s current students and alumni to start leading the way that can truly change the world.”
Learn more about the project and support Dwight’s hike at 101milliontrees.com.
