Green Week

April 22 - April 29

Residence Hall Association, the Student Sustainability Committee and MaryPIRG have teamed up for Green Week, leading up to the Climate Action Forum in College Park on Wednesday, May 4! RSVP to attend these events and stay updated here!

Earth Day April 22

Earth Day Festival 2016 will kick-off Green Week! Earth Day Festival will be held on April 22 from 6 to 8:30 pm in the Grand Ballroom Lounge of Stamp! https://www.facebook.com/events/1333709699989340/

There will be food, music, art, and guest speaker Dr. Ball, Dean of BSOS. Earth is home to people of all religions, races, ethnicities, and cultures, so we are inviting all that share and care about our only home. The theme of this year's event will be ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. Environmental justice is inextricably linked to social and economic justice, and so on this Earth Day, we are celebrating the universality of what we are all trying to accomplish: a better Earth.

Also happening on Earth Day: Climate - A Hot Topic from 12-4pm in Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, Rotunda RoomTERP Climate is hosting a series of talks about various aspects of climate change from carbon inequality to deforestation monitoring to public policy. After the talks there will be a chance to have a discussion with the speakers. There will be free food and giveaways! Feel free to stop by for a few talks or the whole event. The schedule can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TERPClimate

Campus Clean Up - Saturday April 23

Join us in cleaning up Campus Creek and Paint Branch Creek on Saturday, April 23! We will meet at the Campus Farm at 10 am and finish at noon. Join us after for lunch at two of College Park's most sustainable restaurants, Sweet Green or NuVegan!

Water Day - Monday April 25

On Water Day, take these actions to conserve water and reduce water scarcity:

1. Don't drink coffee! Opt for tea instead.

2. Take a shower within 5 minutes, turn off the water when shampooing or conditioning!

3. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. DO IT.

4. Check your appliancs for leaky faucets!

Waste Day - Tuesday April 26

There is no "away." Follow the hierachry: Reduce, Reuse, THEN recycle! On Waste Day, choose these simple steps to reduce your consumption (and, hence, minimize waste!

1. Pick up every piece that you see and dispose of it correctly!

2. Sort your waste correctly--into compost, recycling, or trash--and educate others on how to do so as well.

3. Do not use single use plastic or paper products. Local landfills are rapidly running out of space to store our discarded products, so items are being shipped great distances. Instead, opt for reusable items, like ozzi boxes, thermoses, and reusable water bottles, that can be washed and reused many times!

Food & Flower Day - Wednesday April 27

On food and flower day, act to celebrate the organisms that pollinate our flowers and food by protecting them from chemically intensive lawn treatments like pesticides and herbicides, while taking small actions to reduce food waste and insecurity!

1. Eat all your food, or save it for later! 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council.

2. Buy local or organic food!

3. Eat vegetarian or vegan, go meatless for one day and reduce your carbon footprint drastically. Or even commit to skipping red meat!

Energy Day - Thursday April 28

On Energy Day, take these simple and effective actions to reduce your energy use!

1. Do not drive a car; instead, walk, bike or take mass transit.

2. Unplug electronics when not in use! Turn the lights off during the day--use the sun's natural light instead.

3. Support local agriculture; food made locally requires less energy to transport as it's going shorter distances!

Climate Day - Friday April 29

Green Week will culminate in Climate Day, where we will all gather together as one to call awareness to the many issues facing society now and in the years ahead. Come to represent the issue most important to you--whether it be saving the bees, the trees or mitigating climate change, all are welcome to join in force! Climate March will start at 2pm at Testdo in front of the Stamp Student Union, and end in front of the Administration Building. Wear a T-shirt representing the issue, campaign or organization you are representing, and join us in holding black balloons to represent the world's remaining carbon reserves that must remain unburned (or, unpopped)!