UW Earth Week

media release: With 23 events offered by 19 campus partners from April 17-23, on and off campus, Earth Week offers many opportunities to celebrate as well as critically examine our relationships with the natural environment—and with each other.

Monday, April 17:

9:00am – 10:00am – Mindfulness Yoga Session, Upper Gulley Program Room, Caron Gulley Center – REGISTER HERE (campus community only): The Office of Sustainability and UW RecWell are collaborating to host a mindfulness yoga season to kick off Earth Week! Be sure to bring your own yoga mat and water bottle.

11:00am – 2:00pm – Plant Forward Lunch, Lowell Market

Lowell Market has been serving a plant-forward menu every Monday since the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year. This celebration will highlight the Market’s dedication to sustainability and feature a delicious, plant-forward menu, prizes, and more!

12:00pm – 1:30pm – Sow, Sprout, and Sustain, Chadbourne Garden Bed

 Get your hands dirty and help plant some cold weather crops in the Chadbourne Garden Beds with the Food Team from the Office of Sustainability. The event will also feature a pantry swap. If able, feel free to bring non-perishable food items to donate, and take any pantry items that you need. First attendees will also receive herb starters and a fact sheet to take home to grow on your own!

3:00pm – 4:30pm – Plants for the Apocalypse, Allen Centennial Garden: Plants are our partners in life and in death. They might signal the coming of the apocalypse, feed or heal us through extreme experiences, and help us cope with our mental health in challenging ecological times. We will explore plant relationships with apocalypse and their associations with death, war, famine, and plague. What kind of plants would you want around for the end of the world? Drop in for a self-guided tour and learn from UW community members about plants that have the potential to affect the health of people, the Earth, and our relationships. This event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you please RSVP here.

3:00pm – 5:00pm – Field Trip to Troy Farm, Troy Farm – REGISTER HERE: Join students from Horticulture 372 and get a free tour of a local Madison organic farm, Troy Farm. Troy Farm is proud to be one of Madison’s oldest organic urban Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Come prepared to get your hands dirty! This event is limited to 30 people.

6:30pm – 7:30pm – Slow Food: Dinner on Earth, The Crossing: Stop by The Crossing for a delicious, home cooked meal put on by Slow Food UW!

Tuesday, April 18:

9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Water@UW Spring Symposium, Gordon Commons

12:30pm – 6:00pm – Nelson Institute Earth Day 2023: Species on the Move, Discovery Building

5:00pm – 8:00pm – Sustainability and Social Impact Networking Night, Grainger Hall, Room 3290

7:00pm – 8:00pm – Earth Day Trivia, Der Rathskeller: Join CLEAN (Campus Leaders for Energy Action Now) and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies for a fun night of Earth-day themed trivia questions! Questions will be centered around Earth Day, as well as other environmental and sustainability related themes. There will also be some amazing prizes from multiple local businesses for winners!

Wednesday, April 19:

9:00am – 1:15pm – Nelson Institute Earth Day 2023: Species on the Move, Virtual

12:00pm – 1:00pm – Wellbeing Wednesday: Nutrition & Food Sustainability, Gordon Dining and Event Center: Stop by the table at Gordon Dining and Event Center to gain knowledge and information about food nutrition and sustainability, hosted by UW RecWell and the Food Team from the Office of Sustainability. There will be free merchandise, snacks, and fact sheets to take home!

12:00pm – 2:00pm – Slow Food: Café Terra, The Crossing

3:00pm – 4:30pm – Allen Centennial Plant Giveaway (BYO mug for planting!), Allen Centennial Garden: BYOMug? Yes! Bring it to Allen Centennial Garden to transform it into the perfect little pot for houseplants and herbs. We’ll provide the plants and soil. (If you don’t have a mug, we’ll have a few to share and other little pots while supplies last!)

Thursday, April 20:

12:00pm – 1:00pm – Climate Change in the African and Arab Regions, SAC Caucus Room

3:00pm – 5:00pm – Bike Repairs and Resources with UW–Madison Cycling Club, Library Mall

6:00pm – 8:00pm – GreenHouse’s Grocery Games, Babcock Kitchen in Babcock Hall – REGISTER HERE: The GreenHouse Learning Community is hosting a cooking competition using excess grocery items. Join a group of cooks and compete to make the tastiest dish in 60 minutes! Bring grocery bags to bring extra produce home (there will be lots) and come hungry! Each cook on the winning team will receive a National Park poster.

Friday, April 21:

12:00pm – 2:00pm – Campus-Wide Cleanup: Central Campus

Union South (12pm start)

Langdon St. (1pm start, preview the route)

12:00pm – 2:00pm – Sustainability Showcase , Library Mall

1:00pm – 4:00pm – ReWear-It Clothing Swap, 21 North Park St., Room 1108. Bring in any clothes you’re no longer loving and find some new goodies at the clothing swap!

2:00pm – 4:00pm – All Out! Natural Dye Workshop, Mendota Lodge, Memorial Union

Saturday, April 22:

9:00am – 11:00am – Earth Day Challenge Invasive Plant Removal (volunteer event), Entrance to Picnic Point, Lakeshore Nature Preserve

TBD – Earth Day March, Library Mall to the Capitol

1:30pm – 4:30pm – EmPOWERing Youth for a Brighter Future, UW Arboretum – INFO AND REGISTRATION HERE

Sunday, April 23:

10:00am – 11:00am – Campus-Wide Cleanup, West Campus

Register TBA.

All Day, Monday-Friday: Daily DIY video – Visit our YouTube Channel