Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful (KNB) awarded Dr. Jared Barnes the 2017 KNB Sustainability Award during SFA Garden’s Earth Day Celebration on April 1 at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA).

Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful promotes waste reduction, litter abatement and beautification through individual responsibility within Nacogdoches County. The KNB Sustainability Award recognizes community members who make a concerted effort to promote the role of sustainability throughout the Nacogdoches community.

Barnes joined SFA in 2014 and has since made great advancements towards his goal of doubling the enrollment for the horticulture program. Barnes expanded and redesigned the gardens around the Agriculture Building, attracting more students. These gardens now provide SFA student-grown produce for a weekly market, Sprouts, held behind the Agriculture Building.

Barnes efforts have greatly increased the visibility of SFA’s horticulture program and its students. His students have been featured on the covers of Sawdust, SFA’s alumni magazine, and Nursery Management, a national trade publication.

Barnes has taught more than 400 students and nine separate courses at the University. He also currently serves as a major professor for two graduate students, as the faculty advisor for SFA’s Horticulture Club, and he conducts his own academic research.

In 2016, the Perennial Plant Association named Barnes the 2016 Young Professional of the Year, and Greenhouse Product News recognized him as one of the top 40 horticulture professionals under 40 years old.