Campus Sustainability Week

October 6-10, 2025

Campus Sustainability Week is an opportunity for Elon students, faculty and staff to come together to examine sustainable habits and inspire positive sustainable change throughout the Elon community. It is also an opportunity to learn about and celebrate Elon University’s current sustainable practices. A variety of events will take place throughout the week.

Campus Sustainability Week Competition

Attend as many events as you can for your chance to win! First, second and third place winners will be determined by those who attend the most events throughout the week. There will be one set of student winners and another set of faculty/staff winners

PRIZES

First Place: $25 Phoenix Cash, hammock, sustainability prize pack (beeswax wrap, t-shirt, water bottle, utensil kit, straw, reusable bag)
Second Place: hammock, sustainability prize pack
Third Place: hammock

Schedule of Events

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6

9:45-10:45 AM | Coffee & SustainabiliTEA (Lakeside Dining Hall)

Join the Office of Sustainability & Elon Dining for a pop-up coffee station (and tea too!) highlighting sustainable and fair trade hot beverage options at Elon. Bring your own reusable mug to be extra sustainable!

12:00-1:00 PM | Tree Walk (Meet at Fonville Fountain in front of Alamance Building) *Registration Encouraged.

Join Elon’s arborists on a walk around Elon’s beautiful campus to learn about Elon’s trees, including the Tree Trail on campus, the arborist’s favorite trees, and insider information on the maintenance and sustainability of the Elon urban forest.

7:00-8:00 PM | Sustainability Stewards Meeting (Global Commons 301)

Interested in getting involved in sustainability at Elon? Join the Sustainability Stewards program to connect with like-minded individuals and learn how to promote sustainability throughout campus.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7

4:30-5:30 PM | Pop Up Swap Shop (Downstairs Moseley)

Bring your gently used clothing to swap for something new-to-you. No clothing to bring? No problem! You can commit to a sustainable habit to earn free clothing. The Pop Up Swap Shop runs in downstairs Moseley every Tuesday (4:30-5:30 pm), Thursday (1-2 pm) and Friday (2-5 pm) during the Fall 2025 semester.

7:00-8:00 PM | Campus Sustainability Week Keynote: The Rise of B Corps and Business as a Force for Good with Jessica Yinka Thomas (McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center)

In a world of growing inequality, diminishing natural resources and increasing uncertainty, a new form of business is rising. B Corps are businesses committed to putting climate action, environmental stewardship, worker well-being, human rights and good governance on equal footing with profitability. This global network of almost ten thousand businesses is building a movement shifting the purpose of business from wealth maximization to using business as a force to address social and environmental issues. Sharing her own journey from designing educational toys to leading a community of thousands of academics studying B Corps, Thomas’s keynote explores this global movement to redefine corporate success and the role each of us can play to accelerate the transformation.

Jessica Yinka Thomas is an academic, author, and activist. She is an Associate Professor of the Practice and leads the Business Sustainability Collaborative at NC State University’s Poole College of Management. As co-founder and Executive Director of B Academics, she is building a global network of over 2500 educators, researchers, students and practitioners dedicated to studying B Corps and transforming higher education for good. She is a recipient of the Bill Clark B the Change award and the B Lab Collective Action award (on behalf of B Academics).

This event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Department, the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and the Love School of Business.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8

9:00-10:00 PM | S’mores with Outdoors (Beck Pool Patio)
Join Elon Outdoors and the Eco-Reps for a special Campus Sustainability Week S’mores with Outdoors!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9

11:00 AM-1:00 PM | Caprese Skewers Pop-Up (Clohan Dining Hall)

Enjoy Caprese skewers featuring local ingredients used every day in Elon’s Dining Halls.

1:00-2:00 PM | Pop Up Swap Shop (Downstairs Moseley)

4:30-5:30 PM | Book Discussion: Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action by Dana Fisher (The Inn at Elon)

In this book, Dana shows how climate disasters (i.e., “shocks”) can spark collective action, and she offers strategies for building resilience and using moments of crisis to push for systemic change. This book discussion is open to all faculty and staff.

5:30-7:30 PM | Yoga in Nature: Returning to Roots through Plants and Meditation (Under the Oaks)
Come enjoy community and conversation Under the Oaks for the first half of this event, starting at 5:30 pm! We’ll talk about the mental health benefits of spending time outside and inequities in accessing nature while planting your own plant. Stay until 6:30 pm for a restorative yoga session with Yoga Club to process all we have discussed and further reconnect with nature.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10

1:00-3:00 PM | Tote-ally Sustainable (Elon Community Garden)
Join us at the Elon Community Garden to paint your own reusable tote bag while learning about how to reduce waste!

2:00-5:00 PM | Pop Up Swap Shop (Downstairs Moseley)