Volunteers planted 960 pansies and violas in front of the Central Library on December 14 as part of a greening activity. Twenty students and staff members who responded to the call by Mr. Shioji, a technical specialist at the Higashi-Hiroshima Botanical Garden, used shovels to dig holes in the flower bed and planted seedlings of five different varieties, including the "Pineapple" and "White Jump Up" pansies. After the winter, the flower buds will come out in April, and many flowers will bloom to welcome the new students.

The soil for the flower beds is prepared by mixing in "fallen leaves fertilizer." The fertilizer is made by piling up fallen leaves found on campus, such as those of the American sweetgum, brought to the Higashi-Hiroshima Botanical Garden by the staff. The leaves are then trodden down by students and left to mature for a year before being used to grow plants in flower beds and fields. To facilitate fermentation, droppings from crickets* that are being raised as bait at the Amphibian Research Center are also added to the mixture, which allows for the effective recycling of resources within the university.

* Cricket droppings contain high levels of nitrogen, which promotes fermentation.