How to Make Earth Month Meaningful Celebrate what's awesome. Act to keep it that way.

What can you do acknowledge Earth Month? Some suggestions...

Attend a Campus Event!

Events are planned through April (and Early May) that will help you celebrate nature, learn about environmental action on campus, and engage you with great people and opportunities. Try one!

Earth Month at W&L

  • Weigh the Waste | April 4, 5-8 p.m., The Marketplace
    To promote awareness about individual food waste, volunteers from SEAL and the Campus Kitchen at W&L will help collect and sort students' leftovers to weigh the entirety of the waste from one dinner service at the Marketplace. This is the second Weigh the Waste event of the academic year, and it is done in partnership with W&L's dining services.
  • PowerDown Challenge | April 5-12
    The OSEE is hosting its annual PowerDown Challenge April 5-12, with the first energy conservation competition between Village Apartments residents and the second between residents in Gaines Hall and Graham-Lees Hall. This is the first time first-year students will be able to participate in the challenge, and the winners will receive a custom house plaque that will have the winning residence hall engraved on it. The plaque, which will be made at the IQ Center out of wood taken from a walnut tree that fell down on campus several years ago, will spend the year in the winning dorm and change locations with each future PowerDown Challenge winner. Real-time leaderboard information will be available for both competitions on W&L's energy dashboard: https://go.wlu.edu/PowerTrip.
  • Planting for Pollinators! | April 5, 1:30-3 p.m., Campus Garden
    Join OSEE at the Campus Garden on April 5 to plant native plants and wildflowers in the designated pollinator garden. It's the perfect way to wind down from the week and welcome spring. Sign up for a shift at https://go.wlu.edu/PollinatorPlanting.
  • Regenerative Farm Tour Visit | April 6, 1:30-3 p.m., Raphine, VA
    Join SEAL for a trip to Verdant Acres, a regenerative farm in Raphine, Virginia, on April 6. Transportation is provided by SEAL but requires an RSVP: https://linktr.ee/sealwlu.
  • "Picture Life on Earth" Exhibition Opening Reception | April 9, 5-6 p.m., Leyburn Library
    The Museums at W&L and OSEE invite you to the opening reception for "Picture Life on Earth," a special exhibit of student-selected artworks from the museums' collections. Students were invited to choose a piece that speaks to how they think about life on Earth and share their reflections on what they find meaningful, hopeful, scary, urgent or joyful. At the opening reception on April 9, students will share the works they chose and why, giving a unique insight into the way they understand their life on Earth.
  • The W&L Sustainability Sampler | April 10, 1-3 p.m., Science Center Great Hall
    Sustainability is a group effort, and this second annual event is the perfect way to see all the different people on campus who are working to promote environmental and social sustainability. All are welcome to come by for food, games and great conversations with departments and student groups from across campus that are engaged with sustainability at W&L.
  • Kombucha Tasting | April 11, 5:30 p.m., Junga Chai Tea Farm
    SEAL will host a kombucha tasting and tea farm tour with local partner Junga Chai, located here in Lexington. Attendees will try wonderful kombucha and learn about tea cultivation and organic farming. RSVP is required: https://linktr.ee/sealwlu.
  • Painting with Petals | May 10, 5:30 p.m., Lenfest Center Patio
    Join SEAL and the Students Arts League on May 10 for an evening of painting with petals on the patio outside of the Lenfest Center for the Performing Arts. Attendees will create watercolor postcards and pictures using recycled flower pigments.
  • OIE Food and Clothing Drive | Ongoing
    W&L's Office of Inclusion and Engagement (OIE) is helping to sustain our Rockbridge County community by accepting donations of non-perishable food items, hygiene items and professional clothing in the bins located at the W&L Exchange (121 Early Fielding), the first floor of Graham-Lees Hall, the Gaines Hall rotunda, the Village Apartments Civic A living room, Elrod Commons atrium and the Office of Career Strategy at the law school. Donations will be accepted through May 30.

Set a Goal

Check out the "How To" section of the Sustainability Office website for ideas. Maybe you can start composting, up your recycling game, or take an energy challenge. Why not learn about the E-Waste program, ride a blue bike, or read the Climate Action Plan. Or use upcoming Spring events to dive into sustainable purchasing and event planning. As an individual, department, student organization, or rooming group, there are dozens of ways to start on a more sustainable path right now. 

Need something really specific to get you started? Sign up for the the Less Paper, More Trees! initiative! 

Read a Book

Start by checking out the great recommendations from the Student Environmental Action League (SEAL) on display for Earth Month in the main floor of Leyburn Library. Find other good suggestions here:

25 Best Climate Change Books to Read in 2023

The First Must-Read Environmental Books of 2023

The Best Books About Environmental Justice