Elon celebrates Earth Week 2023

Celebrate Earth Week with a variety of activities planned on campus and around the community from April 17 through April 23.

Elon University Earth Day celebrationsEarth Week will be held from April 17 through April 23 and is an opportunity for members of the Elon community to examine their own habits as they relate to sustainability.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend as many events as possible for a chance to win Phoenix Cash, hammocks and more! Event and Earth Week competition details are available on the Earth Week Website.

Schedule of Earth Day events

Monday, April 17

5:30 PM | Mindful Eating | Loy Farm (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Harvest your own food at Loy Farm to make an in-season, organic and local salad! Learn about mindful eating, food insecurity in Alamance county and food justice through film.

7:30 PM | Yoga Club x Sustainability: Intentionality and Mediation Flow | Numen Lumen Sacred Space 

Join the Yoga Club and the Office of Sustainability for a meditative practice centering your mind and body to help you understand and impact the world around you!

Tuesday, April 18

9:40 – 10:20 AM | Earth Week College Coffee | Phi Beta Kappa Commons 

Celebrate the earth at this week’s College Coffee. We’ll have vegan treats (along with some non-vegan favorites) and a variety of interactive tables to help you live your best sustainable life. Don’t forget your reusable mug!

5-7:30 PM | Campus Kitchen Cooking Shift | Lakeside Dining Hall (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Help Campus Kitchen (CK) prepare meals to be delivered to Allied Churches, an organization assisting with housing and hunger in Alamance County. Campus Kitchen is an on-campus service opportunity through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. CK collects unused and unserved food from community partners, including Elon Dining Services, while engaging students, faculty and staff as volunteers who prepare and deliver the meals to those in need in the Burlington community.

7:30 – 8:30 PM | Earth Week Keynote: There’s Probably Nothing More Meaningful Than Acting on Climate — Peter Kalmus | McKinnon Hall 

With the planet heating up and ecosystems dying, it’s hard to think of anything more meaningful than contributing to humanity’s transition into biospheric balance. Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (speaking on his own behalf) and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution. During this keynote, Peter will discuss how we can engage more effectively in the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced based on his experience as a climate scientist and an activist. Bring your questions!

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

Wednesday, April 19

11:30 AM – 1 PM | Planting Seeds for Mental Health | Medallion Plaza 

As the end of the semester approaches, it is incredibly important to take care of your mental health. Join Counseling Services and the Office of Sustainability for tips on taking care of yourself during this stressful time. Decorate a pot and plant a flower seed to brighten the rest of your semester.

5-6 PM | Queering Sustainability | GLC (Moseley 209)

Join the Office of Sustainability and the Gender & LGBTQIA Center (GLC) to talk about the intersections of queerness and the environment.

9-10 PM | S’more with Outdoors | Beck Pool Patio 

Join Elon Outdoors and the Eco-Reps for a special Earth Week S’mores with Outdoors!

Thursday, April 20

5:00-7:00 PM | Party for the Planet | Medallion Plaza 

Celebrate sustainability with free food, fun activities and live entertainment! This event will also feature a thrift shop where students can trade their gently used clothes for new (gently used) clothes.

Friday, April 21

10:30-11:30 AM | Earth Week Danieley Coffee | Danieley Commons sidewalk 

Danieley Coffee will have a special Earth Week take over, which will include locally sourced products and the chance to win some sustainable prizes.

1-4 PM | Garden Club work hours | Elon Community Garden 

Come join the Community Garden Club to help with garden maintenance. The garden is located behind Elon’s Hillel House and Powell House, near East Neighborhood. Please wear clothing you do not mind getting dirty and close-toed shoes.

2:30-4:30 PM | Potluck for the Planet | Elon Community Garden 

Potluck! Picnic! Plant-based! This is an event for sustainability-minded people to gather together and share a meal. Bring your favorite plant-based meal to share. Located in the Community Garden, behind Elon’s Hillel House and Powell House/near East Neighborhood.

3:30 PM | Bike to Burlington | Koury Athletic Center (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Meet in front of the Koury Athletic Center and join Elon Outdoors and the Office of Sustainability for a bike ride to Burlington, where we’ll enjoy some ice cream while learning about local businesses and why they’re an important part of sustainability. Bikes will be provided, or you can bring your own.

4:00 PM | Finding Mindfulness in Nature | Center for the Arts Patio 

Join the Student Art Guild and Eco Reps for an afternoon of painting, food and fun! We will be discussing mindfulness and intentionality in nature through some interesting prompts and activities. We will be meeting on the Center for the Arts back patio (near Lake Mary Nell).

4-6 PM | Loy Farm Volunteer Shift | Loy Farm (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Volunteer at Loy Farm! Each shift is unique based on the seasons. All food grown and harvested at the farm is served in the dining halls or is provided to community partners to feed those in need.

Saturday, April 22

Sustainable Day of Service (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Sustainable Day of Service Opportunities include:

  • 8:30-11 AM | Lake Mackintosh Kayak Clean-Up (Meet in front of Center for the Arts)
    Take care of local Lake Mackintosh while enjoying the beauty of nature. Kayaks, gloves and trash bags provided. Please wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty and bring a reusable water bottle and sunscreen.
  • 8:30-11 AM | Peacehaven Community Farm Garden Workday
    Join us at Peacehaven Community Farm for a garden clean up!
  • 11:15 AM-6 PM | Carolina Tiger Rescue
    Join us as we travel to the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, NC and help with a workgroup project! Projects include cleaning vines and brush from enclosures, building or dismantling fences, digging trenches for drainage, or other light construction tasks.

12-2 PM | Hammock and Hang Out | Lake Mary Nell 

Join Sierra Club at Lake Mary Nell to celebrate Earth Day by hammocking, hanging out and making pinecone bird houses!

Sunday, April 23

11 AM | Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Farm tour | Meet in front of the Center for the Arts (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Visit three local farms to learn about food production in Alamance County and try some local foods along the way!

11 AM – 1 PM | Campus Kitchen Farm Shift | Loy Farm (REGISTRATION REQUIRED)

Help us harvest produce from Loy Farm to be used in our cooking shifts on Tuesday evenings. Campus Kitchen (CK) is an on-campus service opportunity through the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. CK collects unused and unserved food from community partners, including Elon Dining Services, while engaging students, faculty and staff as volunteers who prepare and deliver the meals to those in need in the Burlington community.